Loveable Neighbourhoods

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CONTENTS Published by: Landor LINKS Apollo House 359 Kennington Lane London SE11 5QY Editor: Deniz Huseyin

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Commercial Director: Daniel Simpson Design: Natalie Clarke Printed by: PrintedEasy.com 1 Meredews, Works Road Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 1WH

26 Front cover: An LTN in Islington by Chris Kenyon @boxbikelondon

Foreword

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TfL Action Plan aims to boost bus use

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How Hackney walks the walk 8 In conversation with Mete Coban and Philip Glanville School Streets: Challenging the car James Cleeton, Sustrans

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Positive lessons from Old Bethnal Green Road Chris Harrison, Project Centre

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Catering for cargo and dealing with disabilities Jeremy Green, Falco

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Meet the new hangar on the block Jeremy Green, Falco

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Majority understand the logic of trade-offs Lucy Farrow and Tom Cohen

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Can road closures really make traffic ‘disappear’? 26 Steve Melia Digital engagement helps shape healthy streets 28 Richard Eason, Enfield Council Top three mistakes in the engagement process Jenny May, Vinu

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Hospital lays foundations for healthy travel Craig Nicol, Enfield Council

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Innovating towards an active travel future

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Placing SuDS at heart of green spaces Precious Birabil, Transport for London

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Let’s build back greener Neil Manthrope, Atkins

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Creating sustainable spaces with residents Gareth Morris, what:if

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How to turn parking places into people spaces Habib Khan, Meristem

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Rediweld shapes the right street solutions Jeanette Holder, Rediweld

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How the right tools can improve urban live Tamlyn Shimizu, BABLE

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Three ways to deal with resistance to schemes Menno van Dink, Vinu

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Sponsors’ Directory

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Foreword

FROM BLEAK STREETS TO LOVEABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS roll-out of School Streets to complement LTNs and controlled parking zones.

James Cleeton from Sustrans reports on how the number of School Streets in London has increased from 76 to more than 500 in just three years. School Streets not only improve lives locally but can add up to more significant changes for entire communities, Cleeton believes.

One of the chief complaints about road space reallocation schemes is the lack of appropriate and

Chris Kenyon @boxbikelondon

On the surface, any scheme that stops throughtraffic in residential areas or reallocates space to walking and cycling is likely to be divisive and polarising. The vocal opposition to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has been widely reported, with heated debates on social media.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, councils applied for Government emergency active travel funding, with schemes swiftly, and in some cases perhaps hastily, installed, comprising planters, bollards and ‘pop-up’ cycle lanes. This sparked protests from local groups, who argued that road closures and the removal of space for motorised traffic was undemocratic.

Some schemes have since been withdrawn while many others have been made permanent following trials. So, post lockdown, what lessons have we learned on how best to create safe and attractive places – which also tackle inactive lifestyles, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – while properly involving local people in the process?

This guide offers examples of best practice, including the remarkable transformation of Old Bethnal Green Road, which was once a busy, noisy and polluted main road. Those behind the project worked hard to engage with local people, balancing the needs of residents and businesses.

We talk to Hackney Council’s Philip Glanville and Mete Coban about their evidence-led approach to creating streets that work for everyone, including the more than 70% of households in the borough that do not own a car. Hackney Council has pioneered the

adequate consultation. This is addressed by Lucy Farrow and Tom Cohen, who call for participation by local people much earlier in the planning process.

Meanwhile, Enfield’s Richard Eason reveals how interactive tools have resulted in higher levels of participation by residents in developing peoplefriendly streets. And Vinu’s Jenny May offers tips on how to work with stakeholders to draw up effective ‘co-creation’ methods.

With the capital seeking to become net zero by 2030, encouraging more people to use public transport is vital, says TfL. Its Bus Action Plan, summarised in these pages, includes targets to introduce 25km of bus lanes by 2025 and switch to a totally zero emission fleet by 2030.

Elsewhere in this guide, you will find details of the latest on-street innovations including hangars, hubs, parklets and traffic calming measures. We also turn the spotlight on rain gardens, with TfL’s Precious Birabil listing the many benefits of incorporating SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) in highway schemes, while the urban design team at Atkins offer their insights on greening our streets. There are also valuable greening tips from what:if’s Gareth Morris.

And, for good measure, we take a look further afield at street improvement schemes in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

We hope that the insights, case studies and data gathered here will leave you feeling inspired and serve as a handy reference.

Deniz Huseyin, Editor

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TFL ACTION PLAN AIMS TO BOOST BUS USE A wide-ranging strategy to encourage people to use buses has been launched by Transport for London. This includes plans to make journeys 10% quicker than they were in 2015, introduce 25km of improved bus lanes by 2025 and switch to a totally zero emission bus fleet by 2030 A long-term Bus Action Plan for London will see the modern bus network attract more customers and help the capital become net zero by 2030, said Transport for London (TfL).

It says that the wide-ranging plan will create a network that allows “spontaneous, independent travel, including improved customer information and bus station refurbishment, with actions including upgrading more existing bus stops to meet the wheelchair accessible standard”.

TfL has pledged to make journeys 10% quicker than they were in 2015 and introduce 25km of improved bus lanes by 2025.

l Assessing ongoing hydrogen fuel cell pilot scheme for consumption, reliability and efficiency for five years from 2021, and seeking opportunities to generate the hydrogen used in the pilot from renewable sources from 2024 l A charging pilot scheme with target delivery dates of 2022 for charging infrastructure and 2022/23 for buses, with their phased introduction into service during 2023 l Assessing the long-term potential of hydrogen, opportunity charging and garage-based battery electric buses on a yearly basis.

Zero-emission fleet Journey times The shift to a zero emission fleet will happen more quickly, with TfL seeking to have a totally zeroemission bus fleet by 2030, ahead of the previous target date of 2034. But this will depend on additional Government funding, and support from manufacturers and operators, it points out.

TfL will explore how to deliver a zero-emission fleet for longer routes beyond the range of a single battery charge by:

Improving journey times will require “more agile schedules” that respond better to the variability of traffic conditions throughout the year, using improved technology and a review of contracts, states the plan.

The benefits of the plan can already be seen on route 63 from King’s Cross to Honor Oak, where higher specification all-electric buses are now

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Public Transport

Bus priority

TfL re-affirmed its aim for no one to be killed in or by a London Bus by 2030

The plan sets out how streets will be managed to “ensure adequate priority for all active, efficient and sustainable modes”. Measures will include: l Traffic signalling that gives greater priority for buses, pedestrians and cycles l Reviewing underperforming routes with borough officers to observe issues at a local level, and pooling our expertise to understand the problem and identify solutions l Delivering ‘quick win’ improvements identified through operational observation l Working with boroughs to extend bus lane operating hours and reduce the impact of kerbside activity in bus lanes across the network l Working with boroughs to reduce the impact of roadworks on bus customers.

operating, according to TfL. Meanwhile, a new bus lane on the New Kent Road section of the route is improving journey times and reliability, said TfL, adding that all vehicles meet its Bus Safety Standard and feature upgraded CCTV.

Since the start of 2022 bus lane hours on most red route bus lanes have been converted to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week after trials found that extending bus lane hours cut journey times and helped service reliability, TfL said.

TfL said it will work with local stakeholders to make interchanges easier by “providing safe and comfortable walking routes between bus stops, improving wayfinding and ensuring the right customer information is in place to support longer and more complex trips”.

Under the plan, bus customer information systems and infrastructure will be reviewed.

This will provide “live arrival, disruption, crowding and congestion information our customers need to feel in control of their journeys”.

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and at bus stops, shelters and stations”. These include: l Trials of new layout and design features that can improve the customer experience and accessibility inside the bus, including better lighting and seating, and measures to improve thermal comfort, beginning with 29 vehicles on route 63 in 2022 l Upgrading bus stops and seeking to accelerate bus shelter renewals to meet customer requirements across comfort, accessibility, information, safety and security

Trials are underway to improve layout and design features

l Introducing new bus station design guidelines this year, and delivering new bus stations to these guidelines

Digital information TfL seeks to roll out real-time digital information displays to bus stations, stops and shelters, starting with a trial of different technologies over the next 12 months.

There will be new on-bus information screens, beginning with the trial on route 63 this year, along with digital screens on the outside of buses “to provide customers with more accurate and detailed information”.

The capital’s 25,000 bus drivers will complete a new diversity and inclusion training course by the end of 2024, said TfL.

Bus stops and stations The plan comprises a long list of pledges designed to “improve the experience for customers in vehicles

l Refurbishing and upgrading existing bus stations resulting in safer, comfortable and accessible bus travel, beginning with Kingston Cromwell Road bus station in 2022/23.

Accessibility TfL has pledged to work with boroughs to upgrade existing bus stops so that they meet the wheelchair accessible standard and ensuring that all new bus stops will be wheelchair accessible.

Work will continue with boroughs to convert hail and ride sections of the bus network to fixed stops.

New bus stop layouts will meet the needs of people walking and cycling while “continuing to engage and monitor to ensure that layouts (including nearby street furniture) are fit for purpose and accessible for all”.

Better lighting and seating is to be introduced

Improving safety TfL re-affirmed its aim that no one would be killed in or by a London Bus by 2030. Measures set out in the plan include: l The continued roll-out of the Bus Safety Standard on new vehicles, with all existing measures mandated by 2024. Retrofitting features such as intelligent speed assistance by the end of 2023 l Working with operators to deliver the Fatigue Management Programme for bus drivers l Promoting a culture of transparency, internally and across operators, proactively sharing learning opportunities and publishing. n

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Profile

HOW HACKNEY WALKS THE WALK Hackney Council’s Mete Coban talks to Deniz Huseyin about why he is determined to connect with residents whose voices are not normally heard when taking an evidence-led approach to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods (LTNs), sticking by the approach in the face of sometimes hostile opposition from a vocal minority.

The north-east London council’s active travel and public realm transformation approach is being championed by Hackney’s elected mayor Philip Glanville (see panel) and his colleague Mete Coban, cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm. The pair discussed the challenges they face, the measures they are implementing and their ambitions for this very diverse area of north-east London.

Listening to people

Mete Coban: ‘We’re keeping an open mind on how to build a greener Hackney’

Hackney is a London borough that has been willing to rethink the way its streets are managed and laid out in order to encourage walking and cycling, thus making it safer for pedestrians, especially children, and improving air quality by reducing traffic emissions.

The council has been a pioneer of concepts such as School Streets, publishing a toolkit that has been adopted by local authorities across the UK and internationally. And since the pandemic struck, it has been active in implementing Low Traffic

Mete Coban was just 21 when he became a Hackney councillor in 2014, and retained his Stoke Newington seat for a second time in the local elections on 5 May. He is a co-founder of My Life My Say, a non-partisan charity that seeks to empower young people to participate in the democratic process.

An advocate of measures that reduce the harmful impacts of vehicle traffic, Coban is aware that restrictions on the use of cars need to be explained in order to win over critics.

To this end he has pledged to listen to those opposed to LTNs and will draw on the experience he has gained with My Life My Say. “I've come into post as someone who was brought up on a council estate in Hackney, who often felt like my voice didn't matter,” he explains. “I'm really passionate about making sure that we're listening to people who often don't have the opportunity to engage in traditional council and consultation processes.”

Having received emergency government funding to reallocate road space, Hackney has implemented 19 LTNs under experimental traffic orders. But this

9 is hardly a new development in Hackney; the council has been closing roads to through-traffic for many years. There were already 120 traffic filters in the borough before the pandemic.

Opponents have argued that LTNs merely displace traffic to neighbouring roads, resulting in gridlock and poor air quality while obstructing emergency vehicles.

“Part of it is about understanding what impact LTNs have had so far, both within the LTN areas, but also on surrounding roads,” says Coban. “We believe that, overall, LTNs have reduced traffic in and around surrounding areas.” He points to the council’s initial analysis of five roads near new LTNs, which suggests there has been no “significant impact” on main road traffic.

After subsequent monitoring, the council decided to make permanent the experimental LTNs at Homerton, Hoxton West, London Fields and Hackney Downs.

A poll carried out by Hackney Council reported in March 2022 that 26% of people said they’re walking or running more while 24% of people said they’re cycling more and 30% said they are encouraged to drive less as a result of the introduction of LTNs. In the case of respondents who own a car, 23% said they are encouraged to drive less, and 21% said they are encouraged to drive more.

The council is operating almost 300 automatic traffic counts across the borough to compare pre and post LTN traffic levels. The counts, in addition to data being collected by the DfT and TfL, take place for one week during each monitoring period.

Hackney is planning to install another 20 continuous traffic counters, which will register cyclists and motorised traffic, with some also counting pedestrians.

“We want to properly understand what the data means – the decisions we make must be evidenceled,” says Coban.

The Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Hoxton West

School Streets More than 70% of Hackney households do not own a car, according to London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS) research for 2016-17 – 2018-19. This revealed that 27% of Hackney households have one car and 2% have two or more cars.

Research by traffic and parking analytics expert Inrix in 2018 found that around half of car journeys in Hackney are under 3km. Data collected by Inrix also showed that 44% of vehicle mileage in Hackney is through-traffic. The research seems to suggest there is significant through-traffic on residential roads, with drivers using satnav to get across the borough.

“So, there’s 44% of traffic that goes through Hackney which has no benefit to our local economy,”

says Coban. “We’re not charging those people to drive through Hackney, but there is a cost to our residents. We’re not saying that you shouldn't be able to drive a car - of course you should if you need to. What we're saying is you should adopt a more active lifestyle where possible, because we’re living through a pandemic and we’re living through a climate emergency. It’s a disaster that's waiting to happen, unless we take serious action to secure the future of our children.”

This is why School Streets are so important in changing travel behaviour over the long term, says Coban. Hackney has so far implemented 48 School Streets, which involves imposing a temporary restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times. Of these, 33 have been introduced since September 2020, funded by TfL’s

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Profile

Streetspace pilot. The council is planning to introduce another six School Streets during this academic year.

Nearly 90% of children in Hackney walk, cycle or take public transport to school, the council estimates. School Streets are enforced using both static and mobile automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Penalty Charge Notices are sent to drivers (without valid permits) who enter the zones during hours of operation.

Data collected at the council’s five School Street pilot sites has revealed a 74% drop in tailpipe emissions. “That's amazing,” says Coban. It’s a difference that will mean children not growing up with health conditions relating to poor air quality.”

Connecting green spaces Coban believes that LTNs and School Streets complement Hackney’s Connecting Green Spaces programme, which aims to soften demarcations between green spaces such as parks and the wider environment. LTNs can serve as a catalyst for the greening of streets by installing planters, rain gardens and street trees, says Coban. Alongside this, the council says it is on course to meet its 2018 target of planting more than 35,000 trees, including 5,000 street trees, by 2022.

Another facet of Hackney’s greening mission is the creation of ‘21st Century Streets’. The first one, on Colvestone Crescent in Dalston, will turn parking bays into green space, create tree cover for at least 40% of the street, and install bike storage, parklets, electrical vehicle charging as well as a School Street, says Coban.

“This illustrates the holistic approach we are trying

to achieve. We’re experimenting with different things, working with our community, listening to what they have to say.

“We’re going through the consultation process and we’re keeping an open mind about how we can rebuild a greener Hackney.”

To illustrate the point, Coban says the council has recognised that some LTNs needed adjustments. For example, it removed banned turns near the London Fields LTN in response to comments from residents.

Traffic reduction The start of some LTN trials coincided with major roadworks on Hackney Road, Dalston Junction, Balls Pond Road and Upper Clapton Road. This, says the council, affected traffic patterns and caused delays that were not related to LTNs. Nonetheless, an initial analysis of traffic counts around the London Fields LTN seems to indicate early signs of traffic reduction, with traffic both falling in the neighbourhood and on the boundary main roads.

Traffic within the London Fields LTN was down by an average of 44% while traffic on boundary roads around the LTN dropped by 21%. The analysis was based on traffic counts taken during the lockdown in November, when schools were open but overall traffic levels in Hackney were lower than prepandemic levels.

The council has pledged to increase cycle parking capacity across the borough. “Demand for space on the public highway is high,” says Coban.

“Traditionally, it’s been used for storing cars, but there are cases that bring more social value such as

WORDS ON THE STREETS The controversy around Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) implemented in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic has been widely reported, with images on social media of vandalised planters along with footage of vehicles mounting kerbs to bypass road closures.

In the London borough of Hackney the cabinet member responsible for LTNs received abuse on social media as well as a hand-written death threat. He was informed that his house would be burned down while he and his family were asleep. The cabinet member, Jon Burke, has since resigned both as cabinet member and councillor and has left the borough, stating his desire to spend more time with his family.

Prior to his departure, Burke commented on Twitter: “I hold the astroturf anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood ‘campaigners’ responsible for the creation of an atmosphere in which public property is destroyed and councillors receive death threats for doing the job they were democratically elected to do.”

Burke may have moved home, but he remains an active advocate of walking, cycling and decarbonisation with 24,000 followers on Twitter.

parklets, cycle parking and EV infrastructure, which takes up slightly more space on the carriageway than parking bays, trees and space for dockless bikes.

“To protect the space for pedestrians, which is under pressure in Hackney, we use carriageway space for these initiatives, and that means reducing car parking space.

“We've got an overarching mission to rebuild a greener Hackney as we come out of the pandemic.

And lots of these different schemes are there to connect these green spaces, make it easier for people to walk and cycle to local shops, and to breathe life back into the community.” n

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MAYOR MAPS OUT THE ROUTE TO BEHAVIOUR CHANGE Improving streets for the majority requires the right mix of measures, Hackey’s mayor Philip Glanville tells Deniz Huseyin “A Low Traffic Neighbourhood won’t work without School Streets, or without CPZs [controlled parking zones] and changes to the urban environment,” believes Philip Glanville, Hackney’s elected mayor. “And you can’t just have a School Street without some of the other interventions we've made over many decades. Otherwise, you’d find a hostile environment to walking and cycling, where the car is again dominant, the second you move beyond that School Street environment. We won’t see people having the confidence to let their children walk or cycle to school by themselves or even do it as a family group.”

The hopper bus services that traverse the borough are providing “vital community links”, says Glanville. “I really do think that LTNs can contribute to bus movement as well and support some of those routes as they move through our communities.”

The council will act on feedback from bus operators where there may be issues around pinch points, traffic signal timing, lengths of bus lanes and “awkward parking locations”, he says.

On the subject of parking, Glanville wants to see more innovative ways of accommodating the car. “Surface car parking is one of the poorest land uses in a central London location that any of us could come up with. We want to see the repurposing of parking space for either parks on new homes.”

Glanville - who has just started a third term as Hackney’s mayor after being re-elected on 5 May - believes that CPZs were an important precursor to people-friendly streets. “CPZs have traditionally been incredibly difficult. In 2013 and 2014 introducing a CPZ was seen as really controversial. But, actually, it's the new normal now, and it's allowed some of these other things to happen.”

With the borough’s population set to climb over the next decade, the council must step up efforts to reduce car dependency, says Glanville.

“This has never been about excluding people with large families, disabled people or businesses. Actually, we’re making sure that they have the right infrastructure in the right place to support their lives.”

Most of the borough is now covered by CPZs, with Stamford Hill set to become the newest zone later this year.

Glanville believes that attitudes to LTNs will only change by properly addressing the concerns raised by residents and challenging some of the misconceptions. For example, he stresses that most new LTNs do not obstruct emergency services because there are no planters or bollards across roads. Instead, they are enforced using ANPR cameras.

running’. “Those are the sorts of spaces where you might make more permanent closures. In other cases, say where the road is near to a hospital, ANPR is the right solution as there will always be occasions where emergency vehicles will need access. That's the level of detail we need to consider, as well as listening to people.”

“This allows the emergency services to drive through the closures,” he says. “The council has developed this approach in liaison with the emergency services. We accept that this does result in a level of noncompliance from some motorists but we are keen to support the essential work of the emergency services.”

Glanville also challenges the view that LTNs hinder bus services. “We don't think there is a choice between supporting buses and creating better streets for active travel. I think our transport strategy values both.”

Glanville says that emergency services have not indicated any significant issues regarding response times.

There are some cases where planters and bollards may be necessary to physically stop through-traffic, he adds. For example, some of the roads in the Homerton area had become popular routes for ‘rat

The mayor welcomes TfL’s plan to make most of its bus lanes operational for 24 hours. Hackney is looking to increase the hours of operation on some of its bus lanes as well, he says. “This is still subject to consultation, but where we think it will add value we definitely want to do it. And I’m a cyclist who, controversially, finds quite a lot of comfort in using a bus lane.”

Creating the right connected streets across the borough and beyond will help encourage lasting behaviour change, says Glanville. And this means working to ensure that safe routes don’t come to an abrupt halt at the borough’s boundary. For this reason Hackney is working with neighbouring boroughs. It is implementing a protected cycle lane on Green Lanes between Manor House and Petherton Road in partnership with Islington Council.

Hackney is developing a safe cycle route that links Clapton with Waltham Forest’s segregated cycle route on Lea Bridge Road. The council is also working with Tower Hamlets to develop the Pritchard Road modal filter.

“I think there's a real movement across the north-east London boroughs to connect all these schemes together and make it easier to move around,” says Glanville. “I want to be able to cycle to Columbia Road or go to Roman Road, or visit Walthamstow Village or pop down to Camden, and I think that is getting easier and easier.”

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School Streets

SCHOOL STREETS: A POPULAR IDEA THAT IS CHALLENGING THE DOMINANCE OF THE CAR James Cleeton from Sustrans explains how School Streets not only improve people’s quality of life locally, but can make a huge difference for entire communities Before 2020 there were just 76 School Streets across the whole of London. Since then, Transport for London’s Healthy Streets Officers (HSOs) programme delivered by Sustrans and local authorities has helped increase this collectively to over 500, with our HSO team working on 318 of them.

School Streets help children and families to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle. They tackle the congestion, poor air quality and road safety concerns that many schools experience by temporarily restricting motor traffic at the school gates, generally at drop-off and pick-up times.

Helping schools implement longer-term switchable trips – swapping car journeys for active travel like walking, wheeling and cycling – is also part of the programme. This contributes to TfL’s Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe scheme, which since starting in 2007 has replaced more than 22 million kilometres of car journeys with active travel.

London’s children already experience pollution levels above World Health Organisation recommended limits, and they are particularly vulnerable to air pollution as their lungs develop.

Studies have shown that School Streets reduce nitrogen dioxide by up to 23% during morning dropoff, and 18% of parents reported that they drove to

school less as a result of the programme. A further 90% of parents and residents say they would support regular traffic-free streets outside schools.

Counting the cost of congestion TfL’s finances were hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, with their resultant drop in fares. The financial challenges faced by TfL are substantial and well documented, but as traffic congestion continues to cost London’s economy £5.1bn a year, or £1,211 per driver, measures to facilitate walking, and cycling remain vital to help make neighbourhoods healthier and happier.

This is why working with London boroughs to build on the achievements of the School Streets and Healthy Streets Officers programmes, and offering continued support to them is my first priority as London director of Sustrans.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has an ambitious transport strategy, which sets the target for 80% of all trips to be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041.

It will take a major, long-term step change in how, as a society, we view getting from A to B within a world city. This is an opportunity for more and more

people to experience the benefits of active travel, but people only change how they get about when it feels safe, comfortable, convenient, and is easy to do so.

Initiatives funded by TfL and the capital’s councils to show people how active travel can transform and improve their surroundings, such as School Streets, are an essential introduction to changing their assumptions about having to live with constant traffic and pollution.

In the longer term, our public realm and streets can be reimagined to prioritise people over traffic flow.

And then we need to support people to take those first steps towards active travel for their local journeys.

Supporting disadvantaged residents Needless to say, change like this is not easy. But when we make active travel possible for everyone, we can tackle climate change, air pollution and the huge health crisis. And by doing so we also make neighbourhoods places that people want to live and work.

Smaller scale initiatives like School Streets not only improve people’s quality of life locally, but taken together across London can add up to making a significant difference for entire communities.

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In the past three years the number of School Streets in London has increased from 76 to more than 500

In an ideal world, we’d like to see double the number of School Streets, as part of an ambitious walking, wheeling and cycling programme for the most disadvantaged residents of the capital.

Sustrans can provide a comprehensive service to help local authorities implement School Streets. We have a team of engineers, urban designers and community engagement specialists to provide advice and resources across the UK. This includes

developing policies, conducting feasibility studies, engagement support, trialling, implementation and impact monitoring.

The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown the need to make London’s streets better for walking, cycling, and wheeling so everyone can move around safely. I look forward to leading Sustrans in London and to using our charitable resources for the benefit of those who need them most.

We can, together, transform the way people live and move around to create a happier and fairer future. Sustrans will continue to build partnerships with schools, communities, TfL and London’s local authorities to help them deliver healthier, greener and more accessible active travel. london@sustrans.org.uk n James Cleeton is the London director for Sustrans

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Liveable Streets

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR OLD BETHNAL GREEN ROAD Chris Harrison explains how the re-design of a once busy, polluted and noisy main road in Bethnal Green, east London, has won widespread approval among local residents

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Old Bethnal Green Road was choked with more than 8,000 vehicles per day in 2019 when Project Centre started to work with residents and businesses to design a new-look neighbourhood and remove the rat-running vehicles.

The work is part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ Liveable Streets programme to reduce through-traffic, improve air quality and encourage more active travel in several neighbourhoods. The borough boasts the highest traffic flows in the UK and some neighbourhoods suffer from very poor air quality, with some children suffering from reduced lung capacity as a result.

As a key street within the wider Bethnal Green neighbourhood, Old Bethnal Green Road links residential areas to a green space, two schools and a local parade of shops and a café. The street was dominated by vehicular traffic, which inhibited the local community from using or enjoying this vital community asset.

The key aim of the scheme was to strengthen and improve the connection between the green space and retail area, thereby redefining the area as a place for people. This connectivity was achieved by removing traffic and providing infrastructure for sustainable travel modes.

Engagement and consultation took centre stage in the develop of the scheme. After early engagement surveys to establish local trends and issues, codesign workshops helped shape a series of proposals. A public consultation received more than 2,300 responses to more than 10,000 information packs sent to local properties.

More than two-thirds of respondents supported the proposals, and their feedback shaped the detailed designs, which also benefitted the bustling Columbia Road flower market area. Following two years of community outreach, a parklet was

Wider pavements and cycle tracks have been installed, and trees and shrubs planted

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Liveable Streets

introduced to reduce through-traffic on the road, with filters and one-way access introduced on residential side streets as well as a segregated bike lane.

Thousands of children of all ages attend schools on the street and benefit from the quieter, safer environment with a 69% reduction in traffic across the area and a 4mph reduction in average vehicle speeds, which helps reduce road danger.

An assistant headteacher at a nearby school said: “The road changes are very positive. Staff move between sites on foot as the changes have vastly reduced traffic and made this much more pleasant for staff and also for students walking to school. It is also far less challenging to safely get students across the road at the end of the school day.”

The programme team is working with social enterprise Bikeworks to provide free basic repairs and maintenance to encourage residents to dust off old bikes and bring them back into use as well as support regular commuters to cycle safely.

Road closures are not the only key feature of this scheme and wider low traffic neighbourhood; wider pavements and continuous crossings help vulnerable residents and visitors get around, improving access for those using mobility aids or walking with pushchairs or prams.

More greenery was planted to improve air quality, drainage, biodiversity and the overall look of the area.

Extra seating offers an opportunity for rest or relaxation to allow everyone to enjoy fresh air or

open space in such a built-up neighbourhood with businesses introducing tables and chairs to allow customers to enjoy a drink or lunch al fresco.

Enhanced street lighting and CCTV is planned to tackle fears of crime and anti-social behaviour following feedback from residents.

Balancing the needs of residents and businesses is a challenge, with loading and parking bays a priority for traders in an inner London borough of just eight square miles where road space is at a premium.

Several cycle hangars have been introduced in residential roads and estates. Additional cycle stands have been installed near the shops to help people support local shops hit by pandemic restrictions.

A shopkeeper in Columbia Road said: “We have been here for 24 years. I was a keen cyclist but found cycling in London just too terrifying and dangerous so during those years I cycled less and less. With the Liveable Streets initiative, I suddenly feel confident to get back on my bike. We are now thinking differently about how we deliver in London. For example, because of the reduced traffic on the roads we were able to do many of our deliveries within London on bike.”

The programme team will continue to monitor the longer-term impact on local roads as commuters return to their workplace more regularly. Other schemes include similar interventions have been implemented in Barkantine, Wapping and Bow. n Chris Harrison is technical director at Project Centre chris.harrison@projectcentre.co.uk

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CATERING FOR CARGO AND DEALING WITH DISABILITIES Two cycle parking developments in Waltham Forest look set to encourage active travel and make streets more liveable and inclusive, writes Falco’s Jeremy Green Interest in cargo bikes rocketed during lockdown, but while you can hire a standard cycle for personal use, you can’t do the same for a cargo bike. And there is also a marked discrepancy between the availability of Blue Badge disabled parking bays in car parks and secure disabled cycle parking. The London borough Waltham Forest is well known for its forward-thinking programmes and is currently in the early stages of developing support for those who use adaptive and cargo bikes.

Public Cargo Bike Rental Cargo bikes (and e-cargo bikes) are one of the largest growing sectors in Europe. Though mainly for commercial or personal use, some councils are looking to bring this opportunity into the public sphere. Standard bike hire schemes have challenges of their own, but cargo bike hire brings a totally different set of challenges.

The popularity of cargo bikes soared during lockdown

18

Cycle parking

facility which accommodates virtually all nonstandard bike profiles, with multiple locking options.

A key driver for Waltham Forest was also our ‘FalcoSmart’ app-based locking system. This not only enables the cargo bike store to be opened using a smart phone app, but also means the cargo bike is can be secured using a smart padlock with the same app.

Additionally, both stores are capable of hosting ecargo bikes, providing either a dedicated charging point or a secure battery charging store where the potentially unstable Lithium batteries can be deposited in a secure fire-proof charging locker. The FalcoPod-Cargo also achieved Sold Secure Gold status.

Disabled bike hangar

Falco’s new hangars can accommodate virtually all non-standard bike profiles

Jane Sherry, Waltham Forest’s behaviour change project manager, along with the council’s cycling officer Daniel Gosbee and project manager Simon Capper, have been on the cargo bike trail for some time, and their tie-up with zero emission delivery operator Zedify is proving a real success. The obvious missing link in the Waltham Forest service was enabling the public to hire and ride their own

cargo bikes, but the key problem was the lack of public storage facilities.

Cargo bike hangars Falco has been tracking the rise of cargo bikes for some time and wanted to develop a ‘one size fits all’

Residents in Waltham Forest have asked the council to address the lack of disabled cycle parking by installing secure facilities to lock adaptive bikes.

Simon Capper, the council’s project manager in the Enjoy team, is now seeking to find a solution in partnership with Falco. “This is a unique project we’re doing here and, whilst challenging, it’s great to be breaking new ground in the cycling world,” he says.

“We have a problem: both the idea that disabled people can’t cycle and the existence of barriers that mean they don’t. In order to address this, a comprehensive and diverse range of highly visible measures are required. With this project we are trying to find a solution to one of those barriers and play a key role as part of a wider strategy in catering for and promoting inclusive cycling.”

He adds: “Through the development of disabled accessible bike hangars and eventual inclusion of policy to underpin it, we hope to address a disparity

19

in the way society provides for and views disabled cyclists compared with disabled drivers.”

Key to the project was building a team from as many relevant disciplines as possible. The first port of call was a discussion with Isabelle Clement, director of the charity Wheels for Wellbeing. “Nonstandard cycles are routinely heavier, wider, longer, and more costly than standard bicycles plus many have bespoke features,” says Clement. “Cycles are often a crucial mobility aid for a disabled rider but very difficult to replace if stolen. The development and provision of accessible and secure cycle storage solutions is a key component of making cycling a realistic option for disabled people.”

Falco Disabled Bike Hangar The FalcoCargobox was the ideal starting point and, to develop the initial concept paper, we looked at a wide number of issues disabled people face - such as: approaching the hangar; manoeuvring; opening the door; securing the bike; removing bags - to try and capture the problems these have on as many different disabilities as possible. Based on this concept, the team at LBWF are planning fieldwork with Wheels for Wellbeing, social enterprise BikeWorks, supplier of special needs tricycles Tomcat and others to ensure the prototype addresses as many disabilities as possible.

As with the Cargo bike project, by using technology such as the FalcoSmart app, we are able to ensure that only disabled people registered with the scheme are able to use the facilities. n Jeremy Green is a managing director at Falco

Falco is working with Waltham Forest to develop secure parking for disabled cyclists

20

Bike hangars

MEET THE NEW HANGAR ON THE BLOCK Residents and councils are discovering the benefits of FalcoPod - a spacious, family-friendly cycle hangar, reports Falco’s Jeremy Green

last year a new hangar called the FalcoPod was unveiled.

Falco has become known for large-scale cycle hubs such as Cambridge Cyclepoint or the hubs near tube and rail stations in the London borough of Waltham Forest, says the firm’s managing director Jeremy Green. “But, actually, we’ve always had bike hangars such as the ‘midi-bike box,’” he points out.

“Everyone makes Sheffield stands but there hasn’t been any choice in the UK for bike hangars, and we were being badgered by the market to come up with an alternative. So when our design team developed the FalcoPod, initially for the European market, we decided the time was right to offer it as a more flexible alternative in the UK as well.”

The FalcoPod bike hangar can accommodate a wide variety of cycles

Bike hangars have been around for many years, with the original Dutch ‘Fietshangar’ first appearing more than 30 years ago. More recently, demand for onstreet hangars has been growing across the UK, and

Encouraging family inclusivity Bike hangars in the UK were designed to accommodate only standard bikes, Green says. “For us, family inclusivity was a key issue, so we needed a solution where child seats (front or back) as well as baskets could be accommodated without having to be removed/re-fitted for each journey (whilst holding a baby!). As a result, the FalcoPod has 55% more space

while still fitting in the standard bike hangar footprint, and this additional room is predominantly where child seats and baskets are fitted.”

FalcoSmart App-based locking As well as having a robust structure, the FalcoPod using the latest high security swing arm lock – which has been awarded Sold Secure Gold certification, says Green. “Taking this a step further, we have developed ‘FalcoSmart’ – an ‘app-based’ locking mechanism, which removes the need for residents to carry keys and delivers a further level of security.

For the local authority, they are able to monitor bike hangar use to support transport planning. The benefit of the FalcoSmart App is that we can overlay a booking system so that for cargo bike hire, for example, the booking system controls the locking system.” Additionally it means we only charge residents £40 per user instead of £72.

Non-standard bikes Falco has taken steps to reflect the rising popularity in the UK of ‘non-standard’ cycles. “Coupled with disabled cyclists, there’s a significant community of cyclists who are currently marginalised in terms of public storage opportunities,” says Green.

“Adaptive, cargo, recumbent, tandem, tricycle, oversized, upright… all these have one thing in common - none of them follow any standard bicycle silhouette.

“The design focus here was twofold; again, the additional space not only aims for a ‘one size fits all’ capacity that accommodates many non-standard

21

The FalcoPod is now available with the high security FalcoSmart app-based locking system

bike profiles, for example, with a high upright seating position or wide tricycle axles. Also, the addition of flexible locking bars on the hangar frame or ground-based ‘bull anchors’ makes the FalcoPod much more flexible in terms of accommodating the diverse locking requirements of the adaptive family of bikes. Again, we were delighted to achieve Sold Secure Gold certification for the FalcoPod-Cargo.”

E-bike charging points Green has also been watching with interest the rise and rise of electric bikes, which he sees as “another

way of getting a group of non-cyclists onto two wheels”.

To support e-bike users, the FalcoPod can house either e-bike charging points and/or a secure battery charging locker, where the potentially unstable Lithium batteries can be deposited in a secure fireproof charging cabinet.

in-house powder-coating plant, which means we can deliver a bike hangar within a couple of weeks in any of the 192 RAL colours.

As a final touch, the FalcoPod end frames are fitted with the world’s most reflective marine grade ‘Solas’ tape. This provides maximum visibility at night, so whether you’re on your bike or in a car, you’ll be able to see your bike hangar!” n

Solar PV LED lighting

Jeremy Green is a managing director at Falco

“A further barrier to cycling is the anxiety caused by either early starts or returning late during the hours of darkness particularly in poorly lit areas,” notes Green. “To address this in locations where there isn’t a mains power feed we have an LED lighting solution, which uses a Solar PV panel located on the roof.

“When linked to a PIR sensor the FalcoPod is well lit for when the resident is locking or unlocking their bike.”

Branding and graphics FalcoPods are fitted with smooth cladding, which is better than corrugated cladding for the application of graphics and vinyls, says Green. “Whether you’re adding logos, graphics, maps, advertising or a fullblown ‘wrap’ it’s a truism that better looking street-furniture gains more respect and is less likely to be vandalised.”

Local authorities can enhance bike hangars with any design they wish such as cycling campaign information, advertising or typical views of the city.

“Plus, as an actual manufacturer, Falco has its own

The FalcoPod has 55% more space while still fitting in the bike hangar footprint, and this additional room is where child seats and baskets are fitted

22

Behaviour change

NEVER MIND NUDGE THEORY, THE MAJORITY UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC OF TRADE-OFFS A survey conducted by Lucy Farrow and Tom Cohen exploring attitudes to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods revealed that most people are willing to accept slightly longer journey times in exchange for wider benefits Lucy Farrow

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Base: All respondents (n=2071).

Tom Cohen

Despite their seemingly benign nature, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are continuing to generate opposition, support and media coverage.

While it is tempting to laugh off incidents like the ‘vandalism’ of a planter closing a road in Oxford1, this backlash sets a poor precedent for the other decarbonisation projects that will be needed to hit net zero targets.

If, as some commentators suggest, we’re reaching the limits of ‘stealth’ decarbonisation2 behind the scenes, then future interventions are going to be just as visible as LTNs. And they’ll need to confront the fact that high levels of concern about climate change aren’t translating into support for climate mitigation measures.

23

‘Weaponised psychology’ Since the introduction of the ‘Nudge Unit’ to policy making under former prime minister David Cameron, behavioural science has been used to effect behaviour change in a similarly ‘stealthy’ way.

Nudge theory says that if you can make the new behaviour easier, then people will make a change without really noticing, avoiding the need for an argument. But nudge has become something of a dirty word recently, with the Telegraph referring to as ‘weaponised psychology’ in the context of Covid-19 restrictions. And LTNs might be the classic example of a nudge failure: the change has been noticed, and now we’re starting the argument on the back foot.

But why is this argument still needed if, as the evidence shows, most people in the UK believe in and want to see action on climate change? Our recent UK-wide polling sheds some light on the disconnect. We find that, as expected, most people (75%) think petrol and diesel cars make a significant contribution to climate change globally. However, just 41% feel that their own driving plays a significant role. In fairness, one individual’s driving will contribute a tiny proportion of the total impact of fossil-fuel cars, so it’s not necessarily inaccurate to answer yes to the first question and no to the second.

But the questions were teasing at the fact that the total impact arises from the actions of a large number of individuals. It recalls the Sorites paradox: each additional grain may not cause there to be a pile but the pile is unarguably there!

And, if people genuinely aren’t connecting actions at a local level to the bigger picture, then it’s not surprising that they don’t accept the trade-off of longer journey times, even if they do value action on climate change highly.

Thinking about your immediate neighbourhood, we’d like to know whether you’d be prepared to accept an increase in everyday journey times for drivers e.g. journeys to work, school or to run errands, as a result of traffic restrictions that had wider benefits. In each case please choose the level of additional journey time you’d find acceptable if you were making an everyday journey by car Base: All respondents (n=2071).

Framing the question The interesting thing is that when we make these trade-offs explicit, something nudge theory tells us we should avoid, we see much more support. Our polling data suggests that around 80% of people would be willing to accept a delay to their own car journey to deliver environmental improvements,

with women more likely to accept delays than men but no other clear demographic patterns.

Reducing air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the number of vehicles on local roads are all judged as worth individual delays, with most people plumping for five to ten minutes as acceptable. The importance of framing the question is clear however, as slightly fewer people would accept a delay in

24

Behaviour change

Around 80% of people would be willing to accept a delay to their own car journey to deliver environmental improvements, with women more likely to accept delays than men but no other clear demographic patterns

order to increase the number of journeys on foot or by bike, perhaps seeing this as more of an individual benefit than a community one.

This data suggests that, when presented with a clear choice, most people are willing to accept a minor inconvenience in exchange for a wider benefit.

And while some point to the ‘say do’ gap between stated support for environmental measures and actual behaviour as evidence that the public aren’t as up for change as surveys suggest, a more charitable interpretation might be that people lack the resources, physical, social or informational, to act in line with their preferences.

So, what does this mean for behaviour change projects like LTNs? We think it strengthens the case for citizen engagement that presents people with the rationale for change, makes the trade-offs and impacts explicit, and gives them some say in what happens, going beyond a simple yes or no.

Consultations on particular proposals like LTNs (or, worse, schemes introduced without consultation) create the ideal conditions for kneejerk opposition to change3.

Approaches to participation that start much earlier in the planning process and bring together local people and decision makers to consider the evidence and come to their own conclusions, are much more likely to result in solutions that all can live with.

Who do you think should get to make decisions about traffic restrictions and other traffic measures?

Please select the group you think should have the most influence on the decision Base: All respondents (n=2071).

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Participatory processes have consistently been shown to generate recommendations which would have seemed unthinkable at an individual level, or in an adversarial political situation. Examples ranging from the Irish Citizens Assembly on abortion, to a Cambridge-based assembly on traffic problems in the city, show that these processes can come up with new solutions (though this isn’t guaranteed). Even better is to combine them with involving people in collecting their own evidence, particularly where there are low levels of trust, to counter distrust on both sides.

Importantly, collaborative processes also seem better aligned with people’s expectations about who decides what a place is going to be like. Our polling showed little support for decisions to be made by referendum or even by local councillors. Instead, when we asked people who should make decisions about traffic restrictions, most wanted to see “local residents working together with the local authority”, with a respectable second place for national government.

Citizen engagement isn’t a quick win, but another lesson from the LTN situation is that more haste doesn’t mean more speed. Schemes that were introduced without engagement are becoming mired in procedural arguments that will take far longer than an up-front conversation with residents.

Residents in some areas feel that the state has

overreached, exerting new powers over private citizens without negotiating for them, and that’s when we see posters about North Korea in Ealing4.

These are lessons that local and central government needs to learn quickly before other decarbonisation programmes end up in the same state of gridlock.

l Start with the evidence, what the current situation is, what you are trying to achieve and why, and leave space for communities to tell you what they need to l There are lots of toolkits available to support you in using a co-design approach, or you can get a facilitator

Top tips for community engagement l It’s not about huge scale projects like the Climate Assembly, but more low tech and low key (although lots of this can be delivered virtually as the pandemic has shown). l Defined area – working with the ‘natural’ neighbourhood, not a political boundary – think about the area people use regularly l Start with the problem and a vision for how things might be when it’s addressed, not a detailed solution. Nobody likes to be told what to do and the council’s initial solution might not be the best one for the area l Be as inclusive as you can, making space for different points of view, access needs, communication styles and levels of background knowledge

l Don’t just disappear at the end – even if no changes are made you have to go back to people and let them know why or you’ll lose the trust you’ve built. n Lucy Farrow is associate partner at BritainThinks and Tom Cohen is senior lecturer, transport, at University of Westminster.

1 https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19353047.photos-showfire-damage-ltn-barrier-east-oxford/ 2 https://www.rebeccawillis.co.uk/europe-the-environment-anddemocracy-the-perils-of-policy-by-stealth/ 3 https://www.onlondon.co.uk/introducing-low-trafficneighbourhoods-without-prior-consultation-was-a-mistake-say s-labour-london-politician/ 4 https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/residents-up-in-arms-over-lowtraffic-neighbourhoods/

26

Behaviour change

CAN ROAD CLOSURE SCHEMES REALLY MAKE TRAFFIC ‘DISAPPEAR’?

‘Easier’ road closures may avoid disruption, but it is the schemes covering strategic routes or a wider area that will ultimately bring about traffic reduction, writes Steve Melia All around Britain – and in many other countries – transport authorities have been closing roads to general traffic, pedestrianising in some cases and filtering in others. These experiments have proved controversial. Claims and counter-claims have been flying across mainstream and anti-social media. What happens to the traffic when you close or filter a road?

Does it just squeeze onto the surrounding roads, worsening congestion and pollution, or does it ‘disappear’, and if so, what happens to the people who used to drive there?

I have spent several years trying to answer those questions and have made some progress. Tom Calvert and I have written an article for Municipal Engineer, and a shorter conference paper1, clarifying some of the unanswered questions, but not all. This is a story of politics, frustration and unintended consequences.

The term ‘disappearing traffic’ was coined by Sally Cairns, Steve Atkins and Phil Goodwin in 1998, published by Landor LINKS and in Municipal Engineer, in 20022. They reviewed 63 cases where roads were closed to general traffic or the capacity was reduced, by a new bus lane for example. In most cases, the volume of traffic in the surrounding area fell, by an average of 11% although the range was wide. The authors hoped the findings would embolden transport authorities, but they also acknowledged the limitations of their study. It relied

on traffic counts conducted by the authorities; the researchers had no control over the boundaries of the traffic cordon. They asked transport planners about the causes of disappearing traffic: modal shift, travel reduction and changes of destination. In the longerterm, people might move house or change jobs. They had some evidence of behaviour change following a temporary bridge closure, but not for permanent closures. They concluded by calling on future researchers to address those remaining questions.

When I checked 18 years later, they remained largely unanswered.

To answer those questions, researchers need clearcut examples to compare the situation ‘before and after’, to observe behaviour changes and measure impacts over a wider area. Pedestrianisation might reduce traffic in a town centre, but what is happening further out? Does it prompt some suburban residents to choose new destinations outside the area of measurement?

My first attempt to address those questions, with Ian Shergold, used a pedestrianisation scheme in Brighton’s Old Town. Unfortunately, the original scheme was watered down, so our article3 tells more about municipal politics than disappearing traffic.

My second attempt, with Tom Calvert, set out to measure the impacts of a pedestrianisation scheme in Taunton town centre. Taunton Deane Council and the

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund agreed to fund the study, and we were ready to go when local politics intervened once again. As usual, business owners objected at a late stage. A safety audit also revealed some design challenges, so the council decided to shelve most of the plan. Just one of the three planned roads was pedestrianised in 2019.

This curtailed the scope of our study, again, but it did reveal one very significant finding. Amongst the residents living closest to the pedestrianised street there was very little behaviour change. Some 98% of the drivers said they still drove to the same places; they just took a longer route. The ‘before and after’ modal shares for commuting, shopping and ‘last trip for any purpose’ were all unchanged. So, this smallscale scheme seemed to cause almost total traffic displacement, with no evidence of any disappearing traffic.

We then looked for a contrasting example of a road closure affecting a much wider area. Bristol Bridge provided the only route for general traffic to cross the city centre (before the council installed bus gates during the pandemic, which have now been made permanent).

Back in 2019 a demonstration closed the bridge for five days. The area disrupted and the length of the detour were far greater than the Taunton example.

Through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request we

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The easier road closures, the ones that avoid disruption, are more likely to cause maximum traffic displacement and minimal traffic reduction

want to reduce traffic, you need to close strategic routes, or remove through-routes across a wider area (which Low Traffic Neighbourhoods may do). That will increase congestion in the immediate area, and across a wider area, with the impacts declining as you move further away. Over time that congestion may subside as more traffic ‘disappears’.

Given the gaps in our knowledge on all this, the outputs of traffic models should be treated with great caution. None of them can convincingly claim to reflect real-world road closures, and we still don’t really know what happens to the people who used to drive along roads that are closed to general traffic. In view of the number of road closures and the controversy they provoke, this ought to be a higher priority for future research. n Steve Melia is a former senior lecturer in transport and planning at the University of the West of England. His book, Roads Runways and Resistance – from the Newbury Bypass to Extinction Rebellion, is published by Pluto Press. Melia, S. and Calvert, T. (2021) Does Traffic Disappear When Roads Are Closed? is available on: https://uwe-repository.work tribe.com/output/7520712 1 https://tinyurl.com/36vwhtxx 2 https://tinyurl.com/nvjanfu8 3 https://tinyurl.com/w79wn8

Analysis by the London borough of Hackney has found a link between LTNs and reduced traffic inside and around schemes

Gary Manhine/Hackney Council

obtained traffic counts from the Bristol City Council before, during and after the demonstration. We measured the impacts in the surrounding area and across the whole city.

The closure increased congestion, particularly in the central area but also, to a lesser extent, across the rest of the city. So did the variability of journey times.

Traffic volumes fell by 7% in the centre and 2% in the outer areas. Although there was clearly displacement, the net impact was 2.5% less traffic across the city.

That was a temporary closure, well-publicised in advance; a permanent closure might have different consequences. A third example provides some further insights. In 2016 the City of Paris pedestrianised the lower Right Bank of the River Seine, provoking a legal challenge from the Ile de France Region. The controversy spilled into the media; journalists cited Phil Goodwin in articles explaining “l’évaporation du traffic” to the Parisian public. A study showed a similar pattern to the one we found in Bristol; traffic was displaced, congestion increased, and total volumes fell, but later that year, the city reported that traffic on the parallel routes continued to fall during 2017.

So here is a paradox for transport planners; the easier road closures, the ones that avoid disruption, are more likely to cause maximum traffic displacement and minimal traffic reduction. If you

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Engagement

DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT ALLOWS COMMUNITIES TO SHAPE HEALTHY STREETS The constraints of lockdown forced Enfield Council to re-think how it involved residents in plans to create a Liveable Neighbourhood. But adopting interactive tools has actually resulted in higher levels of participation, the council says

Richard Eason: We’re planning the next engagement phase and will be using a blend of physical and digital approaches

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Enfield Council faced the quandary of how to engage with the community to develop people-friendly streets.

With physical events all but ruled out, the council adopted digital engagement for its Let’s Talk Enfield Town (LTET) project, which had been launched in September 2019.

Richard Eason, the council’s healthy streets programme director, had helped secure £6m through TfL’s Liveable Neighbourhoods Fund to invest in the future of one of the borough’s most prominent town centre locations.

Having developed a community engagement programme for the project in Summer 2019, Eason and his team set about delivering the first of two phases with the support of community engagement specialists ECF. A local consultative group was formed, with a series of workshops, pop-ups, stakeholder meetings, school assemblies, drop-ins held between September 2019 and December 2019.

Some 1,500 local people contributed ideas that informed five design principles, which now serve to shape future interventions in Enfield Town.

The work undertaken relied primarily on physical engagement events to drive up participation, with the hope that this would also happen in phase two.

However, the council was forced to review this in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and the threat of lockdown became a reality.

Eason said: “In the first phase of engagement, we felt we had developed a method of generating constructive participation from across the community. We were gearing up to use similar tools again, as they had proved so successful. We had to quickly reframe how we were going to ensure community input.”

With social distancing restrictions continuing throughout 2020, it became clear that physical events would not be possible. Eason called on the ECF team, led by director Oliver Deed, to develop a programme that ensured a high level of participation in phase two. Deed and his colleagues set about working up a digital-led engagement strategy.

“Richard and his team were clear they wanted to maintain the momentum built in the first phase,” said Deeds. “Thankfully, there are several fantastic tools available that make successful digital-led engagement possible. Frankly, had this happened 10 years ago, we would have really struggled to do a convincing job.”

During phase two, the council set out to consult on a plan for improving the accessibility of Enfield Town with a focus on sustainability. This included a co-design process for four public spaces in the town centre. The complexity of the highways interventions posed a communications challenge.

Within the constraints of lockdown, the online engagement platform, Engagement HQ, had to work harder than in the first phase, said Eason. “When conducting a digital-led engagement programme, your engagement platform is critical. It is the source of truth for the project, and we made sure we created plenty of visual content, including professional produced videos and information boards that outlined, in simple terms, the vision we were trying

29 to pursue and why we were doing it.”

The platform hosted a survey and a mapping tool for the community to provide their views. This resulted in more than 5,000 visits to the website, almost 1,500 direct downloads of the plans for the area, and 250 people contributing across the two feedback tools.

Enfield Council also commissioned interactive presentations, hosted on Zoom, giving residents the opportunity to question the project team about the proposals. Over 100 questions were posed and almost 200 people participated, either attending live or viewing a recording on YouTube. This was double the number of people who attended the project launch event in September 2019.

Running co-design workshops online posed the biggest challenge. The two-hour sessions were hosted on Zoom, with each involving around 20 participants, who were sent a detailed pack beforehand. Breakout rooms were used to split groups into tables, with a facilitator. Two separate activities were delivered, using Google Jamboard, an intuitive interactive whiteboard programme. The final activity saw participants jointly annotating a blank base plan for each space with ideas for uses and materials that could be used.

“The co-design sessions were fantastic,” said Eason. “Participants were engaged and there was a strong sense of everyone been invested in wanting the best for the town, with both a sense of trust and mutual respect.

“We had ideas for new heritage trails, new planting, new seating, and new names for spaces, much of which we will be adopting. Using expert table facilitators and sending a detailed participant pack in advance was the key to success.”

Post-pandemic, funding challenges remain, but the council are now preparing for the third phase of engagement. Eason added: “This is a key project for

Enfield Council commissioned interactive presentations, hosted on Zoom giving residents the opportunity to question the project team about the proposals

our Healthy Street programme and in many ways forms the hub of much of our other work. We’re convinced that we’ll develop the best possible designs by ensuring effective engagement with the community. We’re now planning the next engagement phase and will be using a blend of physical and digital approaches. I am looking forward to future programmes that can harness the best of physical and digital tools.”

This type of engagement has paid off, believes Eason, adding that the final scheme for Enfield town centrewill have been genuinely shaped by the community. n

The Cycle Hub in Enfield Town

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Engagement

BEWARE TOP THREE MISTAKES IN THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS There has been a pushback against Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, often due to inadequate or poor stakeholder engagement. Effective community and stakeholder engagement is key to delivering successful projects, writes Jenny May As many project managers know, it’s virtually impossible to get an area development project, infrastructure project or public space redesign delivered without the support of key stakeholders.

Yet community engagement is often unsuccessful.

Why? And what are the alternatives? Here are three common mistakes made in stakeholder engagement and how you can avoid them:

‘Community engagement works’ Community engagement logically focusses on residents, community groups and local businesses.

However, even when done right - which is not always the case - community engagement alone is not enough, and can even increase the risk of a project not being implemented.

You need to involve all of the stakeholders: the individuals or groups who can influence the project, or who are impacted by it . For example: l l l l

Policy and decision makers Local council departments Schools Hospitals

l l l

Land owners Utility services owners Interest groups

The role and level of influence of each stakeholder on this long list varies during the different stages of a project, from ideas forming through planning and design, through to realisation and use.

Simply ‘getting the community involved’ will not work if the wrong, or ill-equipped stakeholder is engaged at the wrong time. Widening the range of stakeholders also helps balance multiple interests.

‘Co-creation is ideal engagement method’ Co-creation involves a collaborative process with the different stakeholders, for example to produce a joint action plan. It is never an end in itself but an extensive process aimed at realising an outcome by giving stakeholders considerable influence.

Co-creation can help, for example, if stakeholders have specific knowledge of the area or are in a position to block plans. They can play a major role in making a transformation successful.

The ‘Ladder of Participation’ can help decide how best to involve stakeholders - from informing to selfgovernance.

In general, you move up the ladder as the stakes increase (stakeholders have more influence or are impacted more severely) and when there is a desire and opportunity to actually include the input in the plan.

It is a misconception that the lower rung of the ladder is a token gesture and doesn’t really involve stakeholders. Sometimes it’s better to just inform stakeholders rather than actually activating them, only to disappoint them later.

Projects tend to mix different levels of involvement. For example, residents are informed about new cycling infrastructure, consulted on the way their neighbourhood is connected to it, and they jointly decide on where the new trees should be planted.

‘You need to get everyone on-board’ The third common mistake is that community engagement or stakeholder management are about getting everyone on board. This is unrealistic - there will always be opponents.

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Stakeholder Involvement Ladder Examples of involvement tools: The three goals for stakeholder management in all projects are: l

l l

A faster, smoother project with fewer delays: i.e., timely project delivery, and minimised risk of the project being cancelled Better and higher quality plans, incorporating local knowledge and wishes Lower costs

Successful outcomes At VINU, we know from experience that a more holistic and strategic approach towards stakeholder management is key to delivering successful projects.

Thinking through who your stakeholders are, what their interests and level of influence are throughout a project’s lifecycle, and how and when to involve them might seem like a potential source of delay and additional cost.

However, this approach will actually save time, money and unnecessary frustration in the long run.

SELF-GOVERN

Decision-making responsibility with stakeholders

CO-DECIDE

Joint assessment of bids or plans

CO-CREATE

Work groups make plans together

ADVISE

Focus group sessions / advisory group

CONSULT

Interviews, surveys, polls

INFORM

Flyers, website, letter, meetings

Key takeaways l l l

Stakeholder management is much more than community engagement It is extremely important to determine the most effective level of engagement Not everyone is going to support your plan

Jenny May is a director at VINU

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Cycle hubs

HOSPITAL LAYS FOUNDATIONS FOR HEALTHY TRAVEL Enfield council worked in partnership with North Middlesex University Hospital to develop a new style, high quality bike hub, writes Craig Nicol

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The NHS has been through one of the most difficult years in its history. Sadly, this was exacerbated by the prevalence of pre-existing conditions that had already weakened health resilience within the population.

A leading cause of susceptibility to Covid-19 was a lack of physical activity. Active travel is one means by which this can be incorporated into everyday life.

It is also a means of reducing air pollution, another factor exacerbating Covid mortality and morbidity.

Prevention before cure The London Borough of Enfield has been working with North Middlesex University Hospital (NMUH) to provide hands on support to those considering cycling to the hospital, be they patients or staff. This is just one example of how the council and the NMUH are working together to not only cure ill health but prevent it in the first place.

Enfield has led on this collaboration with NMUH to ensure best in class staff cycling facilities were sourced to encourage active travel by Trust staff to the hospital.

The hospital needed to reconfigure remaining parcels of land to relocate the workforce from recently sold buildings. The Council Healthy Streets team initiated travel planning discussions with NMUH to reduce the dominance of staff parking and encourage active travel to the site. The long-term objective is to achieve 10% mode shift to active travel.

A portable facility was required, which was easy to implement to avoid disruption at a busy hospital and was adaptable to the growing needs of the staff and changeable nature of the site.

The facilities need to be secure, inviting and provide: cycle parking; washing and changing facilities; clothes drying facilities; and personal storage lockers for running or cycling equipment.

This proposal was supported by TfL, which fully funded the equipment for this innovative cycle parking project. This is the first time TfL has granted funds to a local authority to fund an NHS scheme.

Traditionally, cycle hubs are installed at highvolume destination such as a Tube or rail station to provide secure short-term parking to commuters.

But it is less typical to see the same quality of provision in the workplace. We understand that one of the key barriers to cycling to work is having a place to wash and change at the end of your run / walk or cycle. Equally, we know that space is a premium at any hospital, so we needed to break the mould.

A new type of hub The Council Healthy Streets team officers have a great depth of knowledge and expertise in cycle parking implementation. This knowledge took us instinctively to Active-commuting, supplier of secure bike parking, lockers, showers and changing rooms for the commuters. This product - built using modular construction - is portable, adaptable and scalable. It had never previously been implemented in London.

The key stakeholders were Enfield council, TfL and the NHS. We approached TfL with a bid that aimed to change the perception of how cycle parking facilities can be delivered and what they could provide. The same proposition was put to the NHS to support their aspirations to create an active travel culture.

The council devised the project, acted as the lead consultant and led on project management and communications throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Overcoming obstacles There were major challenges in carrying out the enabling works, site clearance, foundations, drainage, water and electrical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic at a busy acute hospital site.

The challenges included enclosing the proposed site and ensuring safety for the contractor, staff and patients not only from the usual safety risks but from Covid as well. The site was enclosed with Heras fencing to minimise contact between the contractor and hospital staff and patients.

Constructing the foundation and raising the existing footpath to the correct level to obtain level access was successfully achieved by working closely with Active Commuting in setting out the correct levels.

A further challenge was the delivery of the units to the location, which was accessed by a narrow road and having to lift the units over existing street lamps and trees into a tight space adjacent the maternity unit.

The work was carried out on a Saturday when there was less vehicular and pedestrian traffic, which was diverted via an alternative route. This enabled NMUH and Active Commuting to install the units safely with minimal disruption to the hospital.

Additionally, the installed units fitted the foundation pads exactly and ended up flush with the raised footpath thanks to the close collaboration between Active Commuting and the Trust.

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Cycle hubs

The hub has racks for 56 bikes, male and female changing rooms, which include toilets and showers, lockers and changing benches

HUB FACTS The North Middlesex University Hospital cycle hub project was planned and executed in collaboration with: l NHS facilities team – procurement l Hendry construction – Ground works l Active commuting – Product design, supply chain and delivery logistics l Westhill – Digital design content, external vinyl wrap

It’s a wrap!

The Active Commuting Hub is of a very high standard. It features racks for 56 bikes, male and female changing rooms, which include toilet, showers, lockers, changing benches and even a hair dryer, plus there is a separate drying room. The final touch was a vinyl wrap highlighting the collaborative efforts of Enfield Council, TFL, Active Commuting and North Middlesex Hospital in providing an excellent facility for cyclists.

The provision of this new facility aligns with the Trust’s policy of encouraging staff to use public transport, cycle and/or walk to work instead of using their cars and will be monitored by the trusts travel

But that’s not all...

interventions. In the summer of 2022, the Healthy Streets programme will deliver new segregated cycle tracks and a bus gate as part of an extension of Cycleway 1, running directly outside the hospital.

Later this year, the Council and a local cycling group, the London Cycling Club based in Edmonton (established originally with a TfL cycling community grant) will launch a bicycle loan scheme for both clinical and non-clinical staff working at the hospital.

Those staff who already have a bike, they can continue to use the increasingly popular Dr Bike service that the council hosts once a month in the hospital grounds. The Healthy Streets programme in Enfield takes a comprehensive approach to enabling more active travel.

By blending together infrastructure projects, engagement and supportive services and working in partnership with other organisations, we’ll be able to positively influence future transport choices. Enfield Council are committed to becoming a carbon neutral borough, there will be more bold choices to make as we continue on the journey. n

It’s important to get cycle parking right, but we need to sit these types of measures alongside other

Craig Nicol is a project manager in the healthy streets team at the London Borough of Enfield

plan.There is an application form for access to the cycle facility, which is open to all staff and our contractors. The access to the facility is by swipe card, which allows the Trust to monitor the usage.

Some 64% of the staff at North Middlesex University Hospital are from BAME background and 70% of the workforce are female. So, this all leads to a great opportunity to improve and promote cycling and walking to underrepresented demographics.

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INNOVATING TOWARDS AN ACTIVE TRAVEL FUTURE Falco’s Jeremy Green on why the right security solutions for bike parking will make cycling an attractive option for more people

the infrastructure is incredible and it’s just a normal part of everyday life. We’re a long way behind.

In the UK there are ‘cyclists’ who will be out there, rain or shine, then there are people ‘who have a bike’. It’s for these people that we need to introduce new ideas so that cycling can be a natural choice. For example, ‘Fix Your Bike’ [the Government scheme that offers £50 bike repair vouchers] has been a great initiative, but would you actually leave your recently repaired bike anywhere public?

So, what’s required in the world of cycle parking?

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the outlook for everyday cycling in the UK is actually very encouraging, believes Jeremy Green, managing director of Falco, a manufacturer of parking systems and street furniture.

Green has seen many policy ideas and funding commitments during his 17 years as Falco’s boss.

Over the past year, he has been tracking the impact of Covid-19 on cycling, and thinks there are reasons to be hopeful.

“I’ve seen many policy directions and funding commitments, but they’ve had only localised effects.

“However, since Covid-19 I have seen a concerted commitment by key stakeholders such as TfL, the Department for Transport, the Cycle Rail Working Group and many local authorities,” says Green.

He has spoken with the then transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris, and found him “very committed” to developing cycling. Green also welcomes transport secretary Grant Shapps’ vision for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030.

“Let’s hope there’s funding to support the vision,” he says. Here Jeremy Green offers his perspective on the challenges that lie ahead:

What do you think of the UK’s current cycling infrastructure?

It’s sketchy, there’s some great examples in the UK but nowhere near enough. It’s not just the Netherlands and Denmark, but Germany too where

First, we need to up the quality of our game. The UK is a cost driven culture and unlike our European neighbours, everything is about price, whereas to create an infrastructure that will inspire more people, we need quality infrastructure. We run the Royal Institute of British Architects’ CPD programme on Cycle Parking for architect’s practices, trying to bring in good practice at the design stage. But what an architect draws, doesn’t always end up on the ground. This is why the new ‘Cycle Parking Design and Security Standards’, led by the Bicycle Association and Cycle Rail Working Group, with DfT funding, is key to the development of good infrastructure. Developing a set of quality requirements for the products themselves is something we have spent many years lobbying for.

Then, we need the DfT to make them mandatory.

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Innovation

The extended cycle hub next to Walthamstow Central tube station

Security is one of the top issues people quote as a reason not to cycle - but are secure hubs the answer?

Bike parking is basically chunky bits of metal welded together – does technology come into it at all?

We’ve all had a bike stolen and it’s awful, but the answer is simply ‘yes’. We would advocate extending the secure cycle hub network like the Mini-holland network in the London borough of Waltham Forest.

Elements such as access control, CCTV, lighting and monitoring means these facilities are comparatively expensive in cycle parking terms but, compared with just one mile of new motorway at £30m, you could house between 10-20,000 bikes for the same cost. And it should be noted that these facilities have had some of the lowest theft rates in the UK over the last seven years, so really secure public hubs are the archetypal ‘no-brainer’.

Yes, it has a huge role to play. This is where we will get a big step-change, because there are great benefits for both cyclists and councils. There are a couple of real innovations here; we are currently rolling out our first FalcoPod bike hangars with our ‘FalcoSmart’ smart phone ‘app-based’ lock in Waltham Forest, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Southwark.

The same app-based lock will has also been fitted to the FalcoHub network, so that instead of having a key and a fob, the resident will be able to open their bike hangar with the app, cycle to the station and access the hub with the same app. This removes the hassle of carrying keys, losing keys etc., and coupled

with this, the borough will, for the first time, be able to get significant data on the usage of their facilities.

Also the ‘VeloView’ is a bike monitoring and detection system used throughout the Dutch rail system. It’s already providing valuable information on hub utilisation and we have now extended the facility at Walthamstow Central as a result.

Our partner LoMinck produces lots of innovative products from the automated VeloComfort wheeling ramp to bamboo Sheffield stands. Together, we’re working for a large UK tech company with a great holistic approach to staff cycling. We are looking at the door-to-door experience, with the idea that a cycle hub can be a shared space to encourage others.

We’re installing an RFID system to provide seamless entry and security, as well as to help monitor cycle flows.

A fourth innovation is providing facilities for ebikes, which offer yet another route to cycling for some people. So, we are addressing that sector too with FalcoCrea e-bike lockers for schemes such as the Hebridean Way, Glasgow University and Moray.

What else needs to be done to encourage a greater take-up of cycling London’s cycling and walking commissioner Will Norman told a story about a friend of his who had bike after bike stolen and, as a result, gave up cycling. Then, the other day, one of my children phoned me from New Cross station and said he’d had his back wheel and derailleur stolen – because he’d locked only the front wheel … aaargh! So yes, my view is we need a huge UK-wide, sustained PR campaign to ensure people: a) get insurance; b) use https://www.bikeregister.com/; and c) use two Sold Secure locks. n

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PLACING SUDS AT THE HEART OF GREEN COMMUNITY SPACES TfL’s Precious Birabil lists the myriad benefits of incorporating Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in highway schemes

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) features such as rain gardens or swales are designed to mimic natural processes by slowing and reducing the flow of water into the sewer system. As London continues to grow, climate change, population growth and densification are all contributing to increased levels of surface water runoff. This increases the risk of surface water flooding.

London Borough of Enfield

Transforming neglected spaces

Footway build-out and crossing integrated with SuDS rain gardens, wildflower and tree planting in Enfield, Hazelbury School

SuDS on the highway can take the form of roadside rain gardens in buildouts, trees and low-level planting, which are designed to capture run-off from adjacent hard surfaces, roadside swales in existing green spaces and permeable paving. As well as reducing flooding, SuDS can also help to transform and reactivate neglected places by introducing attractive planting.

Healthy Street schemes provide many opportunities to integrate SuDS into different spaces on the street, for example, by creating rain gardens in pedestrian areas and pavement build-outs, which also act as traffic calming and parking control.

SuDS work by taking surface water flow from impermeable surfaces such as carriageways and footways and transferring them into a permeable area, which allows the water to slowly percolate through the system. This allows controlled flow back into the sewer. The overall effect is to significantly slow and reduce the flow of water into the sewer system, reducing the chances of capacity being exceeded during high rainfall events.

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Rain gardens

disproportionately affect very young and older people as well as people living in poor quality housing and in deprived areas. Many people will find it more difficult to recover from flooding and will suffer more as a result of inequalities in health and transport accessibility.

Integrating SuDS into transport infrastructure can help deliver cost savings in mitigating risks and adapting to future threats. SuDS can also help deliver many benefits that improve quality of life while meeting transport objectives and set out in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and London Environment Strategy. SuDS can help to deliver improvements in biodiversity as well as contribute to Healthy Streets objectives and contribute to the improved health and transport accessibility for all Londoners.

Precious Birabil

Co-designing with the community

SuDS rain gardens retrofitted into build-outs help to limit parking and manage flood risk next to Hazelbury Primary School, Enfield

Adapting to future threats Surface water flood risk is one of the biggest climate change risks facing London. Localised surface flooding occurs when the volume of water entering the sewer network exceeds capacity.

During prolonged rainfall events, this can result in significant transport disruption and damage to residential and commercial properties. Forecasts show that climate change will result in more intense, high rainfall storm events.

The impact of climate change will

The pandemic has reinforced the need for peoplefriendly streets and access to flexible and pleasant places that provide opportunities for leisure and social interaction, which help to reduce the impacts of health inequalities and deprivation. Well-planned SuDS can also transform the public realm and contribute to the full range of Healthy Street Indicators. Co-designing with the community and local groups such as Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can help to encourage buy-in for new schemes.

These groups can also take ownership of the SuDS and have a greater role in managing and maintaining their local environment.

Attractive green space has also been shown to help encourage the switch to greener transport modes.

Many boroughs are already delivering high quality SuDS schemes through the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.

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Maintenance cost savings The London Borough of Waltham Forest introduced a range of SuDS rain gardens by reimagining residential rat runs through the creation of filtered permeability and new public spaces using pocket parks and parklets.

Residents and businesses were consulted early on to contribute to the design and ensure ownership of the scheme. The local community also helps to maintain these new spaces, with the council providing support in challenging periods, for example, installing irrigation points.

Overall costs and maintenance associated with SuDS features can be greatly reduced through good design with community and business involvement.

Getting a topographical survey done early on in the scheme development can greatly assist with this.

When designing the system, it is necessary to consider how water will enter and leave the SuDS feature. It is also vital to build in overflows so that water can leave the system during extreme rainfall events. Mapping tools such as The London Green Infrastructure Focus Map1 can help identify areas in greatest need of green infrastructure interventions.

This can then target SuDS in areas at risk of surface water flooding.

Urban Design London2 is currently running online training workshops for borough officers in order to raise awareness and help plan and design SuDS on the highway. n Precious Birabil, transport strategy & planning, City Planning, Transport for London

SuDS should be considered where there is available space on the highway. SuDS are most cost effective when combined with existing works and local improvement schemes.

There are types of locations and assets that present the best opportunities for integrating SuDS while achieving transport objectives. For example, SuDS can be retrofitted into wide footways and underutilised spaces such as the middle of roundabouts in order to provide environmental and transport benefits such as reducing speeds and improving the look and feel of the space.

The opportunity for SuDS can be assessed in the early planning stages by a project team with the right skills and experience including a drainage officer. It is important to understand the flow and routes of water runoff at the street level and impermeable areas from which the runoff can be intercepted and captured.

Robert Bray Associates

Integrating SuDS into schemes

SuDS features can accept and store run-off from impermeable surfaces

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Urban greening

LET’S BUILD BACK GREENER In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global environmental emergencies, our public places must provide us with greater resilience and adaptability than ever before, believe Neil Manthorpe, Chris Massey and Avgousta Stanitsa If there is one thing we have learnt over the past two years, it is how to be more resilient. Our working lives, daily routines and home lives have all had to adapt. This has happened during a global climate and biodiversity crisis, but, more hopefully, we find ourselves on the brink of a global green revival.

It is clear then, that our urban outdoor spaces must adapt accordingly.

As essential elements of cities that provide the setting for social interaction and a connection to nature, our parks and public places have taken on new meaning and an increased value for our day-today lives.

This requires a level of resilience and adaptability to changing use patterns and environmental pressures that we are encountering. Our response and future design responsibility towards them must equally adapt.

Creating better neighbourhoods Atkins involvement in the production of the Government’s Covid-19: Safer Public Places - Urban Centres and Green Spaces design guidance set out initial direction in response to the pandemic. Local authorities and landowners were able to refer to this

guidance and workshop sessions to help reopen their town centres, parks, and public places. As we now move away from Covid-19 restrictions across the UK, we see that the disruption caused to the ‘traditional’ 9-to-5 working pattern has highlighted the complex working and travel patterns that many people have, and how we now need, or desire, to balance these patterns differently within our lives.

The way we move around our cities, the way we gather and how we rely on our neighbourhoods has, and can, change; this can be a big step towards more vibrant neighbourhoods. Providing ample walking and cycle infrastructure as well as safe, welcoming public spaces that are inclusive for everyone is therefore key in delivering this.

To that end, the High Street’s Task Force has now been appointed, with the Design Council mobilised.

Good design of the public realm and the creation of places for people are once again priorities for all of us. It has been great to see the high levels of engagement in the exploration of new design solutions being delivered across the industry.

Many of us in the industry will know of agendas like the Mayor of London’s Healthy Streets and the successful delivery of the Cycle Superhighways and the Mini-holland schemes across London’s outer boroughs. Atkins’ had the privilege to lead a design

team on our work in Kingston-Upon-Thames integrated public realm enhancements with active travel solutions.

Utilising vital insights from the local community, a new network of greener, safer routes were created across the borough, encouraging more people to adopt active travel choices.

Implementation and usage of green infrastructure isn’t just superficial: The UK Government’s July 2020 document Gear Change: A Bold Vision for Cycling and Walking identifies that up to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK per year are attributed to physical inactivity. Conversely, better access to physical activity can help manage over 20 chronic diseases and conditions.

Access to greenspace is linked to the reduction in stress and the successful management of mental health conditions. It makes sense then, that when redefining our open spaces, we also consider the implementation of nature-based solutions.

Nature-based solutions can remedy the negative impacts of human settlements on our environment and create better places to live. Across our multidisciplinary team, we are involved in the creation of nature-based solutions from habitats for flood alleviation to increasing amenity and biodiversity in heavily built-up environments.

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Atkins has worked with the City of London Corporation to reimagine the public open spaces across The Barbican Estate in The City of London

Urban greening

Biodiversity, net zero targets and new technologies The rapid urbanisation across much of our planet has meant that we have lost touch with our natural ecosystem. Climate science teaches us that we must now re-align our urban environments with this ecosystem. This of course requires a global response, but this response starts on our own doorsteps, in the streets we live on, the parks where we play and the developments that we build; everything in our neighbourhood plays a key role in this. We can be optimistic that the current political mantra is to ‘build back better’, and it is encouraging to see a more holistic approach to reimagine a better future, and most significantly, alongside net zero targets, pushing us to ‘build back greener’.

The resilience that we design into our developments can also have a positive contribution towards thermal comfort, air quality, social interaction, and physical and mental health.

Understanding the relationship between buildings, sustainability and human experience is central to the development and design of successful places.

Sustainability can, and should, take a central role in what we deliver. Atkins’ work to reimagine the public open spaces across the Barbican Estate in the City of London, has been a challenging but rewarding example of this.

The City of London have recently launched their Climate Action Strategy to inform the guiding principles of achieving net zero, building climate resilience and championing sustainable growth on all new projects. At the Barbican, we have analysed the design impacts on the local environment, including the building materials and vegetation

West facing seating terraces created along the improved river frontage of Queens Promenade in Kingston

Image: David Millington Photography

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Image: Atkins

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The way we move around our cities, the way we gather and how we rely on our neighbourhoods has, and can, change

Microclimate analysis modelling for the Barbican including wind comfort analysis

provision in any configuration. We have used new digital tools to measure climatic comfort conditions on a micro scale, helping to mitigate factors found in the external environment, such as urban heat stress.

The design balances this with new biodiverse habitat and improved public amenity. The improvements made aim to ensure that this historic urban form can be enjoyed for many generations to come. This

process sets a precedent for how other historic assets could be adapted to mitigate the enviro-social pressures around them.

With this exciting new chapter in our neighbourhoods, it is easy to rush into ‘greenwashing’ our developments, and while our recent work has highlighted a ‘trend’ toward more green infrastructure, it is important to remember that

these interventions are not a ‘one size fits all’ solution.

As urban sustainability may be costly, stakeholders must be aware of how to efficiently undertake urban greening initiatives and implement the right intervention in the right place. It is critical to stress that urban greening must be understood in the context of distinct local characteristics. Green tactics, although beneficial, have inherent variables that will dictate their efficiency in comparable or contrasting settings around the world. The value then, comes from the variety and involvement of a diverse design team.

Resilience and adaptability within the community and within our streets and public places is of growing importance. Through good integrated design, this adaptation can become the focus of the positive transformation of our communities, our environment, and our future. n Neil Manthorpe is associate director landscape and urban design, Atkins; Chris Massey is a landscape architect, Atkins; and Avgousta Stanitsa is an environmental design researcher, Atkins

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Urban greening

THE GREEN TEAM: WORKING WITH RESIDENTS TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE SPACES Architecture practice what:if has forged strong links with a wide range of people, including those with a distrust of councils, when designing public realm and greening projects, writes Gareth Morris Involving local people in the design and implementation of greening projects has helped galvanise a sense of local ownership. It has been key to placing community at the heart of environmental sustainability and addressing the issues of long-term maintenance of new green infrastructure.

For the past eight years, architecture practice what if: projects has been working with local authorities on active travel schemes, providing design oversight on new public realm and greening projects. We have worked in collaboration with Waltham Forest Highways team on infrastructure strategies including Mini-Holland, Liveable Neighbourhoods and Low-Emission Neighbourhoods.

Speaking directly with a wide range of people is a key part of our design process. We aim to reach a wide demographic including those who are distrustful of, or unused to, engaging with their local

what:if planting day at Coppermill

authority. Each scheme has incorporated a structured council-led public consultation process set at key stages of the design process. In addition, our team helped to develop engagement programmes, with the objective of supporting ‘ground-up resilience’. This approach enables communities to be actively involved in new greening schemes from conception to implementation, with ongoing stewardship of spaces.

Programmes are designed to engage residents throughout all stages of a scheme and provide the opportunity for learning and the sharing of knowledge. This has incorporated: 1. Walks and tours, visiting local green spaces, highlighting local bio-diversity and bringing in green experts with local knowledge.

2. Focused workshops and meetings, and sometimes detailed discussion on the planning

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and layout of new spaces, the choice of tree and plant species and the opportunity to provide stewardship of new spaces.

3. Resident planting days organised in coordination with highways and contractor teams.

4. Enabling community ownership of new spaces by providing maintenance agreements and ongoing support.

Orford Road and Stoneydown Park School In delivering borough-wide active travel infrastructure, Waltham Forest’s Mini-Holland centred on improving arterial routes and developing ‘Village’ area-based schemes. Orford Road was one of the first ‘Village’ schemes to be completed and was driven forward with the collaborative input of Walthamstow Village Residents Association (WVRA) and their green volunteers team.

At the early stages of the scheme the design team organised a green walk around the neighbourhood to help us understand the local context and to bring local people together. Along the route we began by mapping local bio-diversity, the street trees, green spaces and opportunities for new green interventions. The event helped to open up a productive dialogue with local residents and initiate a collaborative approach.

Working together with WVRA during design development, the design team collaboratively produced a SuDS (Sustainable drainage system) gardens planting plan for new green areas together with a specification for all new street trees.

At the construction phase, the resident group carried out the planting of all new beds in the square and along the new cycle street. Through an agreement with the council, the green volunteers

have subsequently provided maintenance and stewardship of these spaces for the last seven years.

The plan for Stoneydown Primary School’s new entrance area in the neighbouring ‘Village’ was developed in collaboration with school pupils, teachers and parents and the local Stoneydown Park Friends Group. Early stage engagement with these local stakeholders helped to shape the scheme with its woodland space, a 30m long rain garden and an informal play area.

During the construction phase the design team organised two hands-on ‘outside classroom’ community workshops with pupils and teachers from the school. There was also a planting day session for parents, young people and local residents. The ‘outside classroom’ involved talking with school children about the types of species being planted and their value for bio-diversity. Following the planting days, residents have continued to provide stewardship of this new green environment.

opportunities for SuDS gardens and enhancing local bio-diversity.

This phase of the programme incorporated 10 new carriageway rain gardens and over 30 new street trees. As the project developed, the design team carried out extensive online workshops with resident teams where we discussed and finalised raingarden planting and street-tree specifications for each individual street. This sustained engagement opened up opportunities for additional SuDS gardens in the area brought forward by residents.

Again, local people participated in the scheme’s implementation through a series of planting days.

These became celebratory events where residents organised street parties. The community have since been maintaining the gardens and have organised a core resident group to manage the variety of spaces.

Coppermill Area Liveable Neighbourhood

A particular focus for Bushwood in Leytonstone has been around tackling local air pollution and increasing bio-diversity locally through new green walking and cycling links through the area.

The scheme design kicked off with two nature walks through the area, with residents together with expert input from a local green volunteer team for the neighbouring Wanstead Flats.

The walks have inspired a range of innovative projects and planting strategies that connect with the adjacent historic landscapes of Epping Forest. The scheme incorporates over ten new SuDS gardens with an aspiration that many of these spaces are comaintained by local residents. The first phase of the scheme is due to be implemented in 2022. n

The Coppermill scheme covers a broad area at the western gateway to the borough incorporating industrial and residential areas and the neighbouring Lee Valley Park. The objective of the scheme was to reduce local traffic and provide better walking and cycling access connecting to local landscapes.

Engagement with residents opened up with a presentation and walking tour of the area. The day included guests from Lee Valley Park and the council food-growing team, plus representation from local residents, allotment holders and the St James Park Friends Group. Along the tour we took in a variety of green spaces and our discussion was framed around

Leytonstone Low-Emission neighbourhood (BLEN)

Gareth Morris is director at what:if projects

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Parklets

HOW TO TURN CAR PARKING SPACES INTO PEOPLE PLACES Parklets can serve as an important focal point when transforming streets from car dominated environments to community hubs, writes Habib Khan

Many believe the future of urban living is one that will not dominated by cars but by nature. The Covid19 pandemic has shown us the importance of green open spaces to our wellbeing and mental health.

This shift towards outdoor spaces has paved the way for more parklets, with hundreds being installed in London alone over the past year.

So, what exactly is a parklet?

Well, it’s a bit like a pocket park but on the road. A parklet is typically an extended platform over a parking space covering one, two or as many car parking bays as you want to convert. It generally combines elements such as, but not limited to seating, tables, planters with planting, green roof, pergola, bike parking or lighting.

Parklets are classed as temporary measures as they can be moved very easily. Most parklets have a decked area, which takes into account the camber of the road and level with the kerb so as to avoid a trip hazard.

What innovations are possible with parklets?

Community parklets in Barnes, west London

Parklets have come a long way since our first installations over five years ago. They now have solar panels which provide lighting and power for charging the users mobile phones. They also have green roofs to attract biodiversity and with water attenuation tanks, these can capture rainwater to prevent flooding and the water can be used for the planters.

Parklets can be designed to have Wi-Fi incorporated into them, which makes sponsoring the parklet more

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attractive as users register to use the Wi-Fi. Our parklets located outside schools even contain a variety of games for children, making them familyfriendly spots.

Doesn’t the loss of parking affect the neighbouring businesses?

No,actually all the evidence from the UK and US shows businesses where parklets are located outside have shown a 20% to 30% uplift in revenue within the first 12 months.

Many customers of bars and coffee shops enjoy the alfresco experience, but most pavements are very narrow and so extending the seating onto the carriageway seems perfectly sensible.

Do parklets need planning permission?

No, if they are on the carriageway a traffic management order and change of use is required. In response to Covid-19, a Pavement Licence regime is in place, which is administered by local authorities, and is designed to make it easier for bars, restaurants and pubs to seat and serve customers outdoors on streets, pavements and in parking spaces through temporary changes.

Who maintains them?

A comprehensive maintenance package is available from the suppliers to keep the plants healthy. This includes: removal of dead leaves, any debris, plant

Clockwise from top left: Hammersmith Grove community parklets; Camden ‘Streateries’ parklets; solar phone charging units at a parklet in Enfield, north London; the parklets in Merton, south London, have become a popular evening location

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Parklets

feed, pruning and plant replacements (due to natural failures or anti-social behaviour).

Do parklets attract anti-social behaviour?

You may expect them to, but parklets tend to be relatively trouble-free.

The trick is to find a good location and involve the local business. It is a good idea to install notices about litter and smoking, and to have bins located next to the parklets.

What else do we need to help the spread of parklets on our streets?

A toolkit or parklet manual would help provide information on the application process, fees, responsibilities, design guidelines, and technical requirements, making it easier for clients to understand the full system.

Also, a portal with location requests would also be beneficial, so people, businesses and local authority are able to recommend a location that needs a parklet. Lastly, clear engagement needs to take place through something like a Twitter parklet page that could contain feedback on the parklets installed.

Imperial College London's Outdoor Study Hubs in West London feature green roofs and timber pergolas

Who pays for them?

Presently, most funding is coming from public sources. In London much of the funding was from the Mayor’s office and various complementary measures such as the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. However, more recently many of them

have been funded by projects that are aimed at reviving the high street such as the Future High Street Fund.

Private sector funding is being made available from corporate sponsorship, which can pay for building

the parklet as well as the ongoing maintenance. n Habib Khan is director at Meristem Design Email: habib@meristemdesign.co.uk

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Parklet in Shoreditch

What is involved in getting a Parklet onto the street?

This toolkit offers a step-by-step guide, which can be used by local authorities and local businesses. It explains what processes need to be followed to ensure a successful Parklet installation. Meristem Design is working with a number of local authorities to adapt this toolkit into a planning process allowing businesses and local community groups to submit a planning request to their local council to make the roll out of Parklets easier for all parties. The process to install a Parklet needs to be as easy as it is for a business to apply for an outdoor furniture licence.

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Traffic calming measures

REDIWELD HELPS DEVELOP GREEN SOLUTIONS FOR TRAFFIC-FREE SCHEMES Jeanette Holder explains how Rediweld’s sustainable products can help councils create people-friendly streets that are safe, attractive and fit for purpose

School Street trial in Swindon where we provided RediPave Islands to help create a traffic-free zone outside the local school

As more and more councils install new infrastructure to encourage cycling and walking, Rediweld has shown itself equal to the challenge of finding the right products to meet the specific needs of each scheme. The company is built on the foundations of 30 years of research and development to provide a range of traffic calming, cycle separation and site safety products.

This means we can offer an array of recycled rubber products to enable councils to roll out low traffic and liveable neighbourhood schemes. Our products include islands, surface kerbing for creating new bus stop waiting areas and pavement widening, seating areas, road closures, children’s play areas and as the number one market leader for light segregation products for cycle lanes, these have already proved to be successful at many locations throughout the UK. Rediweld understands that the appearance and aesthetics of our products are important to our customers. That’s why we manufacture products with moulds to give a soft, organic surface finish and have a granite colour that is well suited to sensitive or heritage locations.

It is well documented that if you improve safety for cyclists then more people will cycle. If more people cycle it reduces the number of vehicle journeys, which in turn reduces air and noise pollution. Light segregation is a way of improving safety for cyclists and reducing accidents. It requires physical objects intermittently placed along the inside of a cycle lane marking, to give a higher degree of separation. The principle is that the cyclists are protected within a cycle lane but not trapped, allowing movement in and out of the cycle lane.

With this in mind, Rediweld has developed a range of sustainable products using recycled rubber

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in a low energy manufacturing process. This involves the use of 40 tonnes of recycled material per month. Once these rubber modules have reached the end of life, they can be recycled again and used in many different ways.

with safe zones being incorporated around schools, and we recently supported a ‘School Street’ trial in Swindon where we provided RediPave Islands to help create a traffic-free zone outside the local school.

These measures help encourage more children to walk, scoot or cycle knowing that no traffic will be allowed in the area during the peak drop-off and pick-up times.

Looking back at the sudden impact from social distancing measures which required additional temporary cycling and walking infrastructure, along with temporary speed reduction measures, we have learned that consultation and working with local communities is a key part of making these schemes successful.

Valuable lessons The safety and comfort of the cycle route network is key to getting more people to cycle. However, this often presents many issues on the existing street network, with competing demands for road space. It also has an impact on other elements such as parking, access issues to the pavement for disabled users and everyday street activities like sweeping and cleaning. Cycle lanes may also have an impact on residents who want to have a pleasing street environment free of clutter and visual intrusion.

Rediweld prides itself on making products that offer good durability, are cost effective, and reduce installation and maintenance. Our products can be swiftly installed, which improves the operative’s safety while on site, minimising risk to themselves and others.

Since the introduction of the Orca Cycle Lane Products over four years ago, Rediweld has been leading the way with new innovative products. We have seen many challenges over the years, but none compared with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic across the world and the recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

We have had to adapt to a new way of working with many now working from home, but still needing to implement various schemes to improve Loveable Neighbourhoods.

Typical applications have included: temporary bus stop areas; widening of existing pavements; closing

Segregated cycle lane on Vauxhall Bridge Road

roads for communities or children play areas; temporary cycle lanes; temporary segregated lanes and traffic islands for crossings; splitter Islands for pinch points; and other products that could be used to help reduce speeds.

These measures have allowed residents to enjoy their neighbourhoods safely by creating extra space while also encouraging them to be more active.

From the initial Orca design to the Greenwich Wand Orca, we have worked closely with our customers so that we can bring new concepts to the marketplace. The various products offer flexibility in the approach of how engineers are looking to build their scheme, what will work, what restrictions there are, and if there any restraints in widths and type of products that can be used. These are all important questions, and our vast range means we can offer a suitable environmental solution to traditional materials.

We are seeing new directions within the market,

The road ahead As an innovative manufacturer, Rediweld continues to react to market changes and challenges by focusing on new products by working closely with engineers and planners within local authorities and cycling groups, so we are able to offer suitable solutions our customers.

Our modular products not only provide durability, but with the various size and width options, we are flexible enough to meet the needs of each scheme.

These innovations complement our traffic calming, site safety products and cycle lane products, with all offering cost effective solutions that required no excavation, minimal disruption and no spoil. And we pride ourselves on our green credentials, with everything manufactured from recycled materials. n Jeanette Holder is managing director at Rediweld

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Smart Cities

HOW THE RIGHT TOOLS AND PARTNERSHIPS CAN IMPROVE URBAN LIFE BABLE is helping citizens, the private sector and public authorities work more coherently together to implement smart technologies and co-create solutions. Here, Tamlyn Shimizu offers an insight into the citizen climate platform developed with the City of Stuttgart and reports on ‘use cases’ from their Smart Cities platforms

BABLE eases the processes of urban and regional innovation by providing a large database of Smart City solutions, helping to share valuable market knowledge and facilitate connections between the private and public sector.

The company also specialises in research and strategy development to develop methodologies through services including education and consulting on funding and project implementation.

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE The climate crisis is urgent and dire. Three-quarters of adults in Great Britain are worried about its impacts, according to the Office for National Statistics, with helplessness a major theme in the responses.

But how can local authorities inspire their citizens?

The city of Stuttgart in Germany is using a digital platform to engage and enable its citizens to act – without depending on the municipal administration for lengthy approval procedures or coordination.

The platform for the Stuttgart Climate Community was developed to promote and enable open innovation for its citizens, with a view toward the municipality's sustainability goals.

Citizens and businesses can post climate “life hacks” or ideas for ways to act that the community can then build on. By sharing lesser-known or unconventional steps with a broad community, the impacts are multiplied on a scale that otherwise would not be possible. Community platform members can start and join projects, and members can use the platform to share insights and

learnings to show others what has been tested and already done toward improving the climate and environment.

The lessons of these projects are also made available

along with a way to contact and directly learn from the experiences of those involved, ensuring that they can be replicated and improved upon in other parts of the city.

The city helps coordinate these initiatives by publishing permits and making them easily accessible, promoting funding opportunities, and building cooperation tools to enable citizens to implement climate protection projects themselves.

This platform is geared toward Stuttgart’s citizens and their needs, but it can easily be replicated and adapted to meet the unique needs of any council.

The platform was engineered by the team behind the BABLE Smart City Platform, which is home to a community where cities from all over the world share their lessons from innovative projects, learn from a database of expert-curated advice for solutions, utilise tools for benchmarking and matchmaking, and connect with companies offering innovation in a wide variety of city-relevant sectors.

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AACHEN: USING AUGMENTED REALITY TO RE-IMAGINE A STREET The city administration in Aachen, Germany, wants to address traffic problems on a road in the city centre and has developed multiple feasible scenarios. To enable citizens to participate in the urban planning process, the Road Planning Tool from Cityscaper is used to display the different scenarios in 3D live on-site.

This is looking at a range of options, such as a one or two lane street, a wider bicycle lane, or more trees instead of parking spaces. These scenarios are based on demands from citizens who have different likes and dislikes.

To find the most suitable option, the city asked for help to display these complex scenarios as vividly as possible and to stimulate an interactive discussion between various stakeholders. Citizens are able to see different scenarios on-site and in real time to reduce misunderstandings during the planning process. The following aims were drawn up:

Citizens in Aachen, Germany, have been using Cityscaper’s Road Planning Tool to visualise different street designs in 3D live on-site

l Develop different scenarios for the street l Display scenarios on site and in real-time l Stimulate discussion between all stakeholders to find the most suitable option and to reduce misunderstandings.

To achieve the formulated goals, Cityscaper's augmented reality applications were used. In close collaboration with citizens and the city administration, multiple scenarios were developed that mirrored the interests of the biggest stakeholder groups. While most citizens demanded a wider bicycle lane and more trees, others asked for better parking opportunities.

Using the Cityscaper app, citizens were able to access these scenarios on their own smartphones and to walk through the street. Based on these visualisations, the city was able to: let citizens participate more actively; foster a fact-based discussion without any misunderstandings; and to find the most suitable

scenario for all stakeholders.

By displaying the various alternatives, citizens were much more eager to participate in the urban planning process, which in turn improved the decision-making process. The complexity of the project was also greatly reduced, which led to a fact-based discussion.

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Smart Cities

ENERGY AND MOBILITY CONCEPT FOR A NET ZERO GARDEN VILLAGE Part of the Local Energy Oxfordshire (LEO) project aimed at developing the local transition to a net zero energy system. A feasibility study on a net zero carbon development at Salt Cross Garden Village in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, was supported by a simulation of the future energy demand (see right).

The project involved the development of 2,200 homes, a science park, a school, a health centre and a park & ride. Urbanomy simulated the future energy demand of the buildings and vehicles, assessed the solar potential, and quantified the flexibility from residential thermal storage, batteries and electric vehicles through V1G/V2G. The potential revenues from services connected to the transport and distribution grid were assessed to support the business case. A scenario-based approach was also adopted to define the best energy and mobility scheme to reach net zero, between a decentralised, centralised and hybrid system. The outputs provided key insights for the overall energy demand, selfconsumption, peak demand reduction potential, bill savings and revenues.

Benjamin Mousseau, CTO & Partnerships at Urbanomy, said: “Urbanomy’s study for the Salt Cross Garden Village is a first of a kind considering all the aspects of the energy system to support the ambition of creating a net zero development.

“All the value chain is taken into account, up to the potential revenues of local flexibility to ensure residents will benefit from reduced bills and the local infrastructure will not be constrained. This is a unique way to prepare for a non-fossil future and draw an efficient and fair energy system.”

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DECISION SUPPORT TOOL FOR SHARED MOBILITY OPERATORS In Madrid, Spain, shared mobility services offer shared on-demand vehicles that can be booked and used by citizens through mobile apps. Car sharing, moped sharing, bike sharing and e-scooter sharing services stand out as an often cleaner alternative to private car use, as most of the fleets deployed are electric.

Despite their outstanding growth, these services still struggle to achieve profitability, hindering their financial sustainability. Hence, operators need to improve the efficiency of fleet deployment and management strategies.

A tool by Nommon Solutions leverages the large amount of data collected by shared mobility operators, which continuously monitor the position and use of their vehicles, thus acquiring an accurate description of the

actual demand of the services. These datasets can be combined with other data sources able to describe the context in which this demand is captured. This is key to developing predictive models that are applicable beyond the current operation area, so that demand forecasts can be produced for supporting strategic decisions (e.g. implementation in a new city).

Two modules are included to produce tailored indicators and support the decision making processes of operators. First, a strategic planning module informs about how major modifications in the service (e.g. change in fleet size, expansion or reduction of the service area, implementation in a new city) would change service KPIs, such as trips per vehicle rates or service revenues.

Second, an operation management module indicates which areas require certain actions to ensure supply availability in the next few hours depending on the demand expected by the models, to enable the optimisation of charging and maintenance procedures.

The KPIs can be visualised in a dashboard that allows operators and authorities to test different scenarios and analyse the impact of their decisions.

The tool can have a significant impact on the efficiency of shared mobility operations. Also, the operation management module enables operators to anticipate demand surges in certain areas of the city, which is a relevant input for prioritising charging and maintenance actions.

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS MONITOR TRAFFIC AND AIR POLLUTION The EU-funded WeCount ‘citizen science’ project enables citizens to take a leading role in measuring road traffic and air pollution in their neighbourhoods. Traffic is at the core of a variety of societal problems ranging from road safety, air, noise, and light pollution to public health risks, to the liveability of communities.

Gathering reliable road traffic data is fundamental to understanding the complex relationships between these problems and road traffic, and to initiate policy changes that will address them. In the past local authorities have relied on spatially and temporally limited traffic counting techniques which are also high cost. A more comprehensive picture is now forming thanks to local people collecting data.

The WeCount project works with residents in six cities: Dublin, Cardiff, Barcelona, Madrid, Leuven, and Ljubljana.

It uses citizen-centric data collection to change the way

traffic data is produced and utilised.

In Dublin ‘citizen scientists’ across the city, including locals from Smart D8, Smart Balbriggan and Smart Docklands, are getting involved. Volunteers have installed low cost, automated road traffic counting sensors on their windows to count cars, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians on local streets (pictured above).

The WeCount project aims to: l Empower citizens to use new technology such as sensors to collect data and evidence about their communities. This can enable citizens to shape and influence local policy decisions and initiatives, and also builds community knowledge on issues relating to our local environment. l Use the traffic data collected to produce scientific knowledge in the field of mobility and environmental

pollution. Work with communities to design solutions to tackle road transport challenges. l Share traffic data with councils to inform transport planning and support data-driven decision-making.

Francesco Pilla from University College Dublin said: “WeCount is a European project that enables citizens to initiate a policy-making process with fully automated measurement data in the field of mobility and air quality.

“The idea is to empower citizens by giving them sensors to collect hard data about what is going on outside their homes, because people often have strong opinions about transport or mobility issues in their area but do not have the evidence to drive the change they want to see.”

Tamlyn Shimizu is global digital growth manager at BABLE

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Smart Cities

THREE WAYS TO DEAL WITH RESISTANCE TO SCHEMES Menno van Dijk offers three strategies for tackling resistance to street improvement schemes based on real-life examples from the Singelpark project in the Netherlands.

Singelpark in Leiden is the longest and one of the most beautiful city parks in the Netherlands, with 6.5 km (4.7 miles) of uninterrupted footpaths around the centre of Leiden (pictured left). Active collaboration between the local authority, the community and other stakeholders is playing a key role in the development, design, execution and maintenance of the new park.

Local residents protesting against a plan is every project manager’s nightmare. Objections come from individuals and groups resistant to the planned change. Of course, you should always try to increase support by listening to stakeholders’ views and interests. But, for when this is not enough, the three strategies below, with examples from Singelpark, will help you deal with serious resistance to your project.

Strategy 1: Every project has opponents It’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time. You can’t keep on adapting a plan. And if, despite all your efforts, you’re unable to mobilise sufficient support, it doesn’t necessarily mean the plan was a bad one. Acknowledging opposition can also be a good strategy, as you might need to focus attention on a legal challenge and the budget and time this will require. Be prepared, but beware!

Decision makers and politicians are often reluctant to push through an unpopular plan at all costs.

Strong political leadership is invaluable for a project’s success.

The Lakenpark section of the Singelpark was

57 redesigned in close consultation with residents and interest groups. The additional trees, new footpath infrastructure, biodiversity and playground meant the loss of several parking spaces. A local gym objected to their clients no longer being able to park by the door. A political decision was made to go ahead as planned, facilitating green and active travel rather than cars, as alternative parking is available within walking distance.

Strategy 2: Joint fact-finding Communicating clearly about your plan is important to enable stakeholders (be they supporters, opponents, ambassadors, or indifferent) to shape their opinion. An advanced communication tool, in particular when stakeholders are questioning information provided, is joint fact finding. Seeking the advice of an independent expert, for example, can reshape negative opinions and help project managers improve their plan.

Key stakeholders co-created the briefing and oversaw the selection of the landscape architect for the development concept. The ‘Singelpark Development Concept’ includes the desire to create one interconnected park, to use water as a guiding principle, and to work in partnership. This document is used by stakeholders in the subprojects to hold each other accountable and ensure their joint Singelpark vision becomes reality.

Strategy 3: Mobilise the silent majority The third strategy assumes the plan is good, but that its opponents are simply more vociferous.

Reach out to the silent majority by holding street fairs and information sessions

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Smart Cities

Plan for the Singelpark project in the Netherlands (LoLa Landscape architects, Studio Karst and Municipality of Leiden)

Supporters don’t feel the need to speak up as their interests are already being served or they don’t want to offend their neighbours who are against the plan.

Sometimes, they stay quiet because they don’t know they’ll benefit from the plan.

For example, with new housing projects, where future residents are not yet in the picture. Or the future users of a new road.

Getting the silent majority to speak up is easier said than done. Here are two approaches worth trying: l l l l

Be creative Use an app or digital platform Invite people to a meeting or information session Conduct cycling interviews with future users of

l l

new active travel infrastructure Set up an information stand in a shopping mall Organise a street fair, a competition or other event to mobilise the crowd

Volkenkunde, who both promoted the project among their followers.

Striking the right balance l l

Seek project ambassadors Actively seek out ambassadors for your project and give them a stage.

You could approach a prominent figure, but also consider asking ordinary locals who support the plan to help mobilise the silent majority.

In the Singelpark project, the silent majority was reached by engaging with stakeholders with a large group of followers: Hortus Botanicus and Museum

Projects bring change that not everyone embraces.

Opposition may indicate a mediocre plan though this is not necessarily the case. The above strategies can help deal with opposition. Strategic stakeholder management is essential to balance multiple interests and avoid giving in to a few noisy opponents. n Menno van Dijk is head of strategic stakeholder management at VINU

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DIRECTORY

Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. We help our clients plan, design and enable major capital projects, and provide expert consultancy that covers the full project lifecycle.

Our dedicated public realm design team based in Victoria work across London delivering inspiring places for people and nature. We are passionate about London in its wider context and play a central role in contributing to the city’s connectivity, sustainable development and its future prosperity.

Atkins is proud to have led the development of London’s innovative approach to climate resilient design from our project work on Trafalgar Square and the Olympic Park; to Hampstead Heath’s Ponds, Kingston’s cycle routes and the current urban greening of the Barbican’s podium. We look forward to continuing to collaborate across London to create more award winning places for people and nature. www.atkinsglobal.com

Falco is the UK’s leading innovator and developer of cycle parking facilities. We design, manufacturer and install cycle hubs, bike hangars, cycle shelters, cycle lockers and all types of cycle parking infrastructure. As innovators, we have a wide number of UK ‘firsts’ under our belt including: l First ever app-based cycle hub to feature an app-based locking mechanism for Bedford Borough Council. l First ever hands-free, ‘keyless’ bike hangar for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea l First cycle hub at Leeds city station l First public cargo bike rental system for Beryl Bikes and the London Borough of Hackney Falco also has the largest cycle hub at Cambridge station and the largest network of cycle hubs for the Waltham Forest Mini-Holland scheme.

Falco provides free design and development, supporting new innovations and ideas to further the development of safe and secure cycle parking across the UK. www.falco.co.uk

We are a team of award-winning designers and horticulturalists who are driven by a passion for plants. We are on a mission to bring more greenery into our world, we are committed to turning the grey, green.

We believe the future of urban living is one that is not dominated by cars but by nature. The pandemic has shown us the importance of green open spaces to our wellbeing and mental health, we need to remember and learn from that experience.

Therefore, we work with local authorities, the Mayor of London, community groups and social housing providers to transform run down urban areas into liveable communities.

We are unique in that we design, fabricate, install, and maintain all our green infrastructure. Whether it is Parklets, custom made planters, living walls or rain gardens with SuDS, we look forward to hearing from you. www.meristemdesign.co.uk

Rediweld is the leading UK manufacturer of an extensive range of road safety and cycle Lane products, which is dedicated to innovation by using recycled materials in resource efficient ways.

We are an accredited ISO9001 company offering quality and durability in our products that are cost effective, within manual handling, reduce installation and maintenance with products that are installed within minutes/hours raising operative’s safety whilst on sites, minimising risk to themselves and others.

With 30 years of experience of working within the sector, Rediweld can offer suitable solutions to meet customer requirements and budgets. Using a modular design not only offers strength and durability but offers flexibility to meet the various widths and restraints found on the highway.

From our Cycle Lane products, Traffic Calming and Site Safety Products , Rediweld can offer complete solutions from consultancy to installation. www.rediweldtraffic.co.uk

We are passionate about improving our urban and rural environments for the benefit of future generations. That’s why we take on projects that make a difference, providing our clients with a range of highly effective strategic stakeholder management services.

Applying our successful, no-nonsense Dutch approach, we have been delivering future-proof results since 2005. These include creating effective buy-ins, facilitating sustainable collaborations and generating innovative long-term solutions.

With our results-driven strategic stakeholder management approach, we get things done and accelerate successful change: together. We help our clients realise projects faster and more effectively, by developing strategic goals for stakeholder management, and engaging the right stakeholders in the right way and at the right time. Effective strategic stakeholder management is key to delivering long-term successful projects, quickly and cost-effectively.

Our sectors l Liveable Cities l Sustainable Transport l Energy, Land & Water www.ukvinu.co.uk